Volunteer in Vietnam - Hanoi

Volunteer in Vietnam - Hanoi with International Volunteer HQ today. IVHQ’s local staff in Hanoi require volunteers NOW! IVHQ  has a wide range of volunteering projects in Hanoi, including Teaching English, Caring for Disabled Children/Orphanage Work, Medical and Working with NGOs. 

LOCATION OF VIETNAM - HANOI VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

IVHQ has volunteer placements located in and around Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.

START AND DURATION OF VIETNAM - HANOI VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Volunteers begin the IVHQ Vietnam program on the first and third Monday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods ranging from one week to six months. 

VIETNAM - HANOI VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be 18 years or older on the program start date and have at least a high school education. Teaching English volunteers must be fluent in English and Medical volunteers must be training or qualifies in a relevant medical field. All volunteers must provide a criminal background check to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Vietnam. 

HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?

VIETNAM - HANOI VOLUNTEER PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

TEACHING ENGLISH

Teaching English volunteers work in a local Vietnamese school, kindergarten, hospital or community centre, assisting staff and students with their education. Many Vietnamese schools lack teachers with sufficient English competencies to extend the students’ English beyond basic writing and speaking skills. Volunteers help to improve the children's vocabulary and pronunciation, assist local teachers in managing their classes, organize games and other activities in the classroom, and help to improve the children's listening and speaking skills. Hours will vary depending on the institution where the volunteer is placed and (average around three to six hours per day). Please note, in order to be placed in a public school, it is necessary to volunteer for two weeks or more and have some teaching experience. For other teaching placements, no teaching experience is necessary. 

ORPHANAGE WORK/CARING FOR DISABLED CHILDREN

Although Vietnam has now been at peace for many years, effects from war continue to haunt not only the adult population of this beautiful country, but also its children. Volunteers have the opportunity to work in institutions caring for children and young people affected by Agent Orange, or in schools, hospitals and community clinics looking after mentally disabled children. Work is somewhat varied dependent on the institution where the volunteer is placed, however typical examples of jobs and tasks can include; assisting local staff in providing rehabilitation exercises and therapist treatments for children, playing with children and entertaining/educating them with games, music, arts and other exercises, renovation work such as painting murals, helping to develop fundraising initiatives to ensure on-going funding for these institutions and informal teaching English to local staff. 

WORKING WITH NGOS

Working with a local NGO (non-governmental organization) in Vietnam is a rewarding and valuable experience for anyone who would like to appreciate how volunteering projects are organized, managed, and supervised. There are many small, locally-run NGOs in Vietnam, which contribute to the cause of development and peace in both urban and rural areas. These NGOs, being typically newly established, are often in shortage of funds, human resources and experience. There is thus a need to build up their capacity through different approaches. A motivated and resourceful international volunteer in the office helps improve their communication skills, working competencies, and assist in creating a bridge between local NGOs and new partners worldwide. There are currently placements in local NGOs in the following sectors: public health, community development, sustainable development and natural conservation. Typical work can include, writing proposals and reports, improving English language proficiency and communication skills of staff, assisting with fundraising initiatives and networking with international partners. It is worth noting that volunteer roles will vary depending on the type of organization they are working with.

Please note, in order to participate on the project, must be staying in Hanoi for a minimum of eight weeks and have some experience in the field they wish to work in. This can either be university study or relevant working experience. Volunteers on this project also need to be fluent in English and will need to bring a laptop for work.

MEDICAL

The Medical project in Hanoi provides skilled medical professionals and students the chance to experience a new culture and working environment, while still learning and developing their specialized medical knowledge at the same time. On this project, volunteers have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of differences between medical systems in developed and developing countries. Volunteers will be placed with a local doctor and/or nurse who will guide them in different tasks and activities at their placement. It is important to note that as a volunteer, you will be unable to partake in serious procedures and will be job shadowing. However, depending on your level of experience, you may observe operations, provide assistance in basic procedures and visit patients, before and after surgery, as well as any other tasks offered or required by the local staff. While volunteers are always encouraged by local staff to see and learn as much as possible, the local staff are also very interested in gaining a better understanding of medical work in your country and learn about the similarities and differences. 

Please note, there is a surcharge of USD $15 per week to cover training and resources used on this program. This will be included in the fees quoted to you when you apply. In order to participate on this project, volunteers must stay in Hanoi for a minimum of eight weeks. Volunteers must also be trained or qualified in a relevant medical field and are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in Vietnam. 

VIETNAM - HANOI PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Vietnam and what you receive in exchange for your fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers in Hanoi stay in a volunteer apartment, which has three dorm rooms (4 - 6 people in each). Males and females are accommodated in separate rooms. The apartment is basic but furnished with a small kitchen and has two small bathrooms (western toilets and electrical heated showers). The apartment is in the same building as the office of our local partner and is located about 30 minutes from the Hanoi city centre. While bedding is provided, it is recommended that volunteers bring their own sleeping bag for the colder winter months and a mosquito net if they wish to travel during the weekends. If you would like to upgrade to a private room in a nearby hotel, you can expect to pay around US$15 per night directly to hotel staff in-country, please note this on your application form.

Vietnam is renowned for its tasty and diverse food. Three meals a day are provided for the duration of your program. Meals consist of traditional Vietnamese fare, which volunteers generally find to be very generous and tasty. Breakfast is eaten at a local café in the morning between 7.30 and 8.00am, lunch is served between 11.30am and 1.00pm at your placement and dinner is prepared by a local cook in your apartment and served between 6.30pm and 8.00pm. If you have special eating requirements, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible and accommodating to the local food. 

ORIENTATION

Orientation will begin on the Monday morning in Hanoi and will cover everything you need to know for your volunteering program – Introduction to Vietnam, Vietnamese Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Vietnam and Vietnamese Language Lesson. The following day, you will visit your placement and complete your placement orientation. 

VOLUNTEER WEEK

When volunteers initially arrive they will spend their first two days completing orientation, taking a city tour, planning for their placements and generally getting accustomed to volunteer life in Vietnam before they start volunteer work.

First Day: On the first day of the volunteering project, the volunteers will be escorted to the project by local staff and introduced to the staff at the placement you will be working with.

Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, a typical day is as follows. 

• 7.30am: Breakfast at local cafe with other volunteers.
• 8.00am: Volunteer accompanies local staff by motorbike or takes a bus to placement. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work hours vary and depend on your placement.
• 2.00am - 5.00am: Work at the placement usually ends. Volunteers are free to vist local sites or do some shopping. You may also want to hang out with the children until around 6.00pm.
• 7.00pm - 8.00pm: Dinner at the volunteer house.

Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of Hanoi and Vietnam. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield and engage in tourist activities, such as trekking, Vietnamese history tours and visits to temples. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends, they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children. 

VIETNAM - HANOI VOLUNTEER FEES

What do my fees pay for?

Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go*) – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, IVHQ Fund, travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers.
Program Fee – Airport pick up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period, In-country 24/7 volunteer support and In-country administration costs.

What additional costs will I have?

Visa, flights, travel insurance, vaccinations, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, transfer back to the airport from program, spending money (volunteers in Vietnam generally find US$30 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses).