Volunteer in Vietnam with IVHQ

Teaching English

The aim of this project is to provide assistance to college students in Ho Chi Minh City who are needing to increase their English fluency so they can further their studies in Business Communication, Nursing and Public Relations. These students are typically aged between 18 and 25 and many have a beginner to intermediate level of English, so you will have the opportunity to assist in developing their English language skills while engaging in a cross-cultural exchange.

This project is well suited to volunteers who are passionate about education and are excited about the opportunity to use the English language to help enhance the career prospects for students in Vietnam.

Your tasks may include helping students to improve their vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation and general knowledge of the English language. Volunteers are required to follow a syllabus within a business communications textbook,and they will guide you in the tasks you are required to assist with while on this project. During holiday times, you may be required to plan and run informal English lessons run by the local team and a project coordinator will assist you during these lessons.

You are not required to have teaching experience or hold a qualification to participate on this project, as you will be leading students through these classes individually, with the help of other volunteers. We encourage volunteers to come prepared by completing some relevant training, like a teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) course. Visit our Online TEFL course page to learn how to gain an internationally-recognized TEFL certification at a discounted rate.

Kindergarten

The aim of the Kindergarten project in Vietnam is to provide assistance within a kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City, supporting local teachers with the day-to-day operations of the center. As an international volunteer, you can help provide the children with a head-start on their education in a fun and supportive environment.

This project is best suited to volunteers who love working with children and are passionate about supporting their development. If you’re new to international volunteering, this project is a great option as you will be working alongside local teachers who can guide you in your daily tasks and activities. It is important that you are fluent in English as you will be teaching aspects of the English language to the children.

As a volunteer on the Kindergarten project, you can expect to be working with children ranging from 3 to 5 years-old. Your volunteer tasks can include playing games, teaching English, helping with handwriting, feeding the children, communicating with the children, and any other tasks as required. You can expect to be working approximately 4 to 6 hours per day, from Monday to Friday. Your day will be split between a morning and afternoon lesson, and break is taken when the children have their nap at midday.

As you will be volunteering alongside our local placement staff, you are not required to have experience in childcare or education to take part in this project.

Medical

As a volunteer on our Medical project, you will have the opportunity to experience a new culture, while developing your medical knowledge by gaining an insight into the Vietnamese healthcare system. This is a unique opportunity to gain a greater understanding of differences between medical systems in developed and developing countries.

This project is well suited to volunteers on pre-medical and medical students, or those qualified in a relevant medical field. The Medical project in Vietnam is an observational placement and does not involve hands-on work. It’s important to note that these institutions are bound by government regulations and cannot allow international volunteers to perform tasks independently. For this reason, this project is best suited to medical students hoping to gain more insight into the Vietnamese healthcare system.

When volunteering on this project you can expect to be placed in a local hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, where you will work alongside local nurses and other medical professionals who will guide you in different tasks and activities at your placement. It is important to keep in mind that the English level of the placement staff does differ, however you will always be supported by an English-speaking coordinator from the local team. When volunteering on the Medical project, your main role will be shadowing local doctors and nurses, with the opportunity to assist them with some basic routine jobs, such as basic triage, wound care and rehabilitation.

This project is open to individuals who are 18 years of age and studying pre-medical or medical courses, in training or qualified in a relevant medical field. Volunteers on this project are asked to bring closed-toed shoes and preferably blue scrubs (any shade or style is fine). You can purchase tailor-made scrubs during orientation for approximately US$25, however, please note these will take a week to arrive. There are also scrubs available to be rented for approximately US$3 per week but these are subject to availability. You will also need to email your CV/resume, a copy of your Medical study transcript and a copy of your passport at least two weeks before your chosen start date.

Please note that this project has a minimum duration requirement of 2 weeks and there is also a surcharge of US$25 per week which covers training and resources used on the project. This amount will be included in the Program Fee quoted to you by IVHQ when you apply.

Special Needs Care

As a Special Needs Care volunteer in Vietnam, you will be working within hospitals and community clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, providing support to children and young people, some who have been affected by Agent Orange. Although Vietnam has now been at peace for many years, the effects of war continue to haunt not only the adult population of this country, but also its children.

This project is best suited to caring and hard-working individuals who are passionate about increasing access to care for young people living with a range of intellectual and physical challenges. If you are a physical therapist, there is also a need for your skills on this project.

When volunteering on the Special Needs Care project, you can expect to be involved in a range of tasks, which will be dependant on your volunteer placement. Typical examples of volunteer tasks can include assisting local staff in providing rehabilitation exercises and therapeutic treatments, feeding and washing up, playing educational games with the children, organizing music and arts activities, supporting renovation work like painting murals, helping to develop fundraising initiatives to ensure on-going funding for your placement, and teaching English to local staff.

As you will be working closely alongside the local placement staff, you are not required to have previous experience or training to make a valuable contribution to this project.

Food Outreach

Your role on this project is to provide assistance to a local ‘Soup Kitchen’ to enable them to provide over 500 lunches daily to people from various backgrounds including poor elderly, low-income earners, disabled, students and children. Poverty is still widespread throughout Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh has a large population of people who are unable to afford regular nutritional meals.

If you’re someone who is wanting to work hard and interact with locals while having a very authentic and rewarding experience, then this is a great project for you! Your tasks may include food preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning the area after meal times. Meals are offered at very low cost to patrons and volunteers’ assistance is greatly appreciated as it enables the program to further spread its reach and ensure the ongoing success of its operation.

As you will be volunteering alongside our local team and placement staff, you do not need to have prior food preparation or hospitality experience to participate on this project.