Booking and Application Process for Vietnam Volunteer Programs
Booking Procedure for our Volunteer Projects
- Complete Online Application at: Apply Now
- Read through this booking information.
- Correspond about your main motivations and interests to participate in our projects. This is normally conducted via e-mail.
- Sign Terms and Conditions and Liability Agreement
- Send $195 US Dollar Project Deposit to book spot in the volunteer or intern project. This can be conducted through our online payment system on our Fees and Payments Page, which is administered by PayPal for security reasons.
- Complete and Submit a clean criminal police background check.
- Purchase international medical insurance for the length of project time.
- Make travel arrangements to arrive into Hanoi on the project start date.
- Send balance of the project fee 30 days prior to project start date.
Volunteer Project Fees
The fees listed below are the entire fee (deposit + balance). To book a project, first a participant must send a $195 deposit. The balance of the fee is then due by 30 days prior to the project start date. So, for example… If one booked the Children’s Hospital for four weeks starting on the 1st of July – the entire fee would be $937 US Dollars. They would be required to send the non-refundable deposit of $195 to book their spot (along with the signed terms and conditions agreement). They would then be required to send the balance fee of $742 by the 1st of June. If the balance isn’t received by the 1st of June, their placement would be lost without refund of their deposit.
In the event that a participant books a project within 30 days of the project start date, then they will be required to send the entire fee at one time.
The timeline for Vietnam Volunteers
Arrival Day
Arrive into Hanoi on a your project start date (a Wednesday). Our coordinating staff will pick you up from the airport, bus station, train station, or arrival point and escort you to our volunteer accommodation. After the check-in process volunteers and interns are free to recover from jet-lag, or explore the neighborhood of our office and accommodation.
Orientation Day 1
Orientation day is always on the Thursday, after volunteers arrive (the day prior). During orientation we cover rules of the House, neighborhood tour, introduction to Friends for Asia Vietnam, Dos and Don’t in Vietnam, Transportation in Vietnam, and of course, Information about placement.
Orientation Day 2
On Friday morning, we take volunteers to visit their project site and give them an on-site orientation where they get to meet the staff and people they’ll be working with. On Friday afternoon, we conduct basic Vietnamese language lessons.
Orientation Day 3
On Saturday we do a city tour with our volunteers, and Sunday is a day off, to rest, relax and prepare for the first day in the project. Monday is the project start date.
Wednesday– Last day in the project.
Thursday– Check out of volunteer accommodation by noon (no exceptions). For volunteers that plan to stay in Hanoi for a few more nights, we can point you in the right direction of inexpensive, nearby hotels.
Pre-Volunteer / Intern Orientation Schedule
As you can see, our volunteer and intern orientation is a rather busy couple of days. It’s understandable that volunteers and interns maybe drowsy due to jet-lag and adjusting to the new climate of Vietnam. For these reasons, we do ask that volunteers and interns take care of themselves upon their first few days in Vietnam and get plenty of rest and drink lots of water.
Volunteer Accommodation
Located in a quiet neighborhood about 15 minutes from the busy city center of Hanoi, sits our volunteer house. Words to best describe the house are: new, clean, and bright. Our volunteer accommodation offers volunteers shared, air conditioned rooms. All rooms have an attached bathroom with a western style toilet and a hot water shower. Our office is on the first floor, and communal meals are had at the house three times daily. So, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know your fellow volunteers, touch base with staff and eat some great Vietnamese food. Below are some candid, armature pictures of the volunteer accommodation.