Home stay in the North of Vietnam

At a glance

Program Information

• Duration : 1 week+
• Placement fee : 450 USD/person
• Location : North of Vietnam
• Type of placement : Volunteer work
• Arrival airport : Noi Bai Airport
• Available : During the year
• Age : 18+
• Activities :    Immersing in unspoiled natural forest and peaceful countryside. Participants have the opportunity to experience with new discoveries about the beautiful and poetic places, participate in travel activities such as hiking, trekking, swimming, sport game, culture exchange…

Overview

Vietnam is a multicultural nation with more than 54 ethnic groups, the cross-culture among ethnics makes Vietnam has a rich culture that we can find nowhere worldwide. The Vietnamese culture discovery trip is a fascinating journey that is attracted for anyone to set their feet in Indochina. Homestay is the project that VVS wants to organize with the purpose to develop the culture exchange between Vietnam and other countries around the world. Participating in this project, volunteers will stay in a local family where it has special features of each region in Northern Vietnam. Staying in a family, volunteers will experience the customs, lifestyles of the family, and culture of the countryside that volunteer participating. The program takes place during the year, depending on the characteristics of each place you can choose the suitable time and your purpose for discovery when you arrive in Vietnam.

During the program, volunteer alongside community support activities such as teaching English to improve English skill for local people and local youth in the development of community tourism, to visit and support for English local school but also to be involved in the exchange program of rural culture such as traditional music, traditional fashion … Especially living in the natural environment integrated with the people temperate monsoon climate zone.

Highlights

• Joining in the green, peaceful area
• Participating in cultural exchange in a new land and new people
• Helping hand for local people
• Travelling with a purpose
• Tasting a new things includes beautiful sightseeing in theVietnam countryside
• Experiencing deeply about the Vietnamese culture and people
• Joining in a meaningful program that meet your travelling and helping hand purpose.

What the project says

Our mission is to bring a meaningful program for volunteers all around the world during  their vacation, particularly, bring an opportunity for participants to experience  the beautiful natural and lovely people in a new land, the interaction of culture among people, the interaction between people and nature.

We aim to bring an opportunity for participant for self-development, a transparent lifestyle, willing help and give back to our communities.

We also promote respect of community development and its power plus caring for the environment  surrounding

Itinerary

Day 1 :  Arrive in Hanoi city (Noi Bai airport)
This will be the first day you come to Vietnam join in our project. VVS staff will pick you up from Noi Bai airport directly to the accommodation where it will be your home during the time you stay inVietnam and work in our project. Then you will have the rest of the day, if this day still remaining in working time, we will have the small orientation at the hotel for you for all needed procedure for your stay and get involved in the project.

Day 2
A short training about trip preparation will be conducted to you, some policies in transportation and how to be safe in the trips. Then, you will have time to visit and say hello to staff and children who you will work with. The time for this will complete a day early and then you can have time to discover the surroundings.

From Day 3 to the end of the duration
From Day 3, you will be working with  full time support of Vietnamese staff members and will be involved in a variety of tasks that will be scheduled for you everyday. You can teach local people some basic English, or participate in the preparation for some events, picnics….Everything would be great for  you and you should do it initiatively, it is very helpful for you to make a friendly way to work with local people, give the best thing for them and you also get the best feeling joining them.
Other travelling activities such as hiking, trekking, swimming of visit the beautiful place will organize everyday following the plan and place you want to travel there.

Your Final day
Have a small farewell party to say goodbye to all your new friends, take your final photos and pack your bag full of souvenirs you’ll travel back to the airport, or off for further adventures elsewhere. The return transfer from your accommodation to Noi Bai airport is not covered within your project fee, VVS will be able to make recommendations and help you arrange a transfer if you need them to. You should budget approximately US$16 for this trip.

Price

Price : 450USD/person

Placement fee includes:

VVS’s placement fee includes the following:

• Self-catering (budget approximately $60 per week)
• Registration fees
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure
• Facilitating a volunteer experience in program site that specifically meets your needs
• Arranging secure, high quality, centrally located accommodation based on your budget.
• Assisting with local transport and providing advice on public transport routes
• Airport meet and greet service
• Complete English preparation and orientation information pack
• Advice, assistance, and guidance before, during, and after your stay
• In-country staff support
• 24/7 emergency support and assistance

Exclude:

Flights, Insurance, Visas,ReturnAirporttransfer, food, accommodation

Type of volunteer

• Eco-tourism
• Economic Development
• Environment
• Feasibility Studies
• Fixing Fences
• Food
• Gardening
• Income-generation
• Organic Farming
• Organizational Development
• Parks
• Planting
• Reforestation
• Research
• Tourism
• Tree Planting

Project

What does the project do?

Homestay in the North of Vietnam is one of the mainly project of VVS that attract participants around the world. VVS  would like to connect the volunteer through the project to make a difference in the local community. By this way, the beautiful sightseeing ofVietnamcountryside and lovely people will be known all over the world. Then, people can know about the place how it’s beautiful and how the best destination they want to visit. The project will be an opportunity for the participants take a journey to the new land, get the new things abroad.  By a variety of activities mainly focuses on nature and community development, the project will help to protect the environment and pure nature. It is also an opportunity for the participants understand how the nature is important to our life and how we can protect our life by nature conservation.

What’s the project like?

This project is in a fairly rural area in The North of Vietnam. At night you will be able to listen to the sound wildlife on a beautiful highland area or you can join in the culture exchange night with a variety of special music instruments. You also can learn from local people how to make some delicious food and beautiful gifts.

Location

You can choose one of following option for your homestay:

Option 1: Banlac village – cradle culture of Thai People

Ban Lac is a mountainous village where Thai ethnic with 5 family Ha, Lo, So, Mác, Loc lives. Banlac also is a fascinating region where has the most special feature of mountainous area in the Northwest of Vietnam with rich nature. 2km far from Mai Chau town, Ban Lac is situated among the green valley as a natural cradle protecting people here. Characterized culture of Thai people with Xoe – Hoa dance, traditional weaving, and many local festivals are organized every year. Participating in BanLac homestay program, volunteers have the opportunity to interact with specific culture of the Thai people with many different clans, each clan they have a special culture and also learn and experience with  and also learn how and experience with weaving brocade. Besides that, participants have the opportunity to join in  community activities such as campfire, cultural exchange art. With a warmly rustic way of living of people here, it partly mounted people who came Banlac village for the first time to become familiar, many of whom became his friends.

Option 2: Lao Chai – Y Ty Highland.

Pass through the road name “Gate of Heaven” at the top of Nhu Co San mountain, the spiral glide path through the top of towering stone mountains, it seems enough challenge for travelers. Lao Chai Village of Black Ha Nhi People which is far from Lao Cai city 70 km (in Bat Xat district, near Chinese border) appear in dew of Y Ty highland. Overview from the highland, Lao Chai located among the stone mountainous area and grass hills with many houses look like giant mushrooms growing at the side of the mountain at an altitude of 2.660m. Black Ha Nhi People is one of the smallest ethnic inVietnamlive in the fog and cold weather through the year. The people live and integrate with huge mountainous natural.  There are variety of Ha Nhi traditional music  instruments made from nature such as bamboo flute, trump leaves, drum. Participating in Lao Chai homestay, volunteers will stay in the specific minority ethnic ofVietnamwith their customs, cultures that you can find nowhere in other places. Beside the English lesson and culture exchange events, volunteers have time for natural discovery with the majestic and full of poetic scene.  Lao Chai is always interesting and poetic place for those who have come to this land.

Option 3: Giao Xuân village – cradle of South East Red Reiver Culture of Vietnam

The project is based in Xuan Thuy national park, the first Ramsar Site inVietnam, in Giao Thuy distric, Nam Dinh province,Viet Nam. Xuan Thuy national park is one of the most beautiful mangrove forests inSouth East Asia. The site comprises of various habitats including mangroves, wetlands, salt mash, estuaries and beaches with high biodiversity. The national park is luscious green and the home of tropical and migratory birds or Birdlife Red List, such as Black-face spoon bill, wild goose, black coot and eight others which are known to be most threatened with extinction.

The villages around Xuan Thuy national park is about 150 km by road fromHanoihaving many restaurants and cafes as well as cultural activities. Volunteers stay at the Giao Xuan commune, situated only ten minutes rising bicycle from the villages to the national park, fifteen minutes going by bicycle to the home town (Ngo Dong town) of Xuan Thuy. This really is the perfect place to make the most of this diverse country.

Activities and schedule

The activities and schedule will be set by VVS or the inquiries, suggestions from the participants. The plan will be fixed before the trip . All of the activity plans will be send and let participants know via email.

Project resources and advice

All the things support for activities on the trip will be provided by VVS and local support. Besides, you should prepare something good for you participating in the trip. There are four seasons in the North of Vietnam: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The weather is really hot in Summer, cool in Autumn and Spring, and really cold winter. Then when you plan to go toVietnam, take part in the project, you should check the time and weather how it is.
What does the project do?

Homestay in the North of Vietnam is one of the mainly project of VVS that attract participant around the world. VVS would like to connect the volunteer through the project to make a different for the local community. By this way, the beautiful sightseeing ofVietnamcountryside and lovely people will be known all over the world. Then, people can know about the place how it beautiful and how the best destination they want to visit. Project will be an opportunity for the participants take a journey to the new land, get the new things abroad.  By variety of activities mainly focuses on nature and community development, the project will help to protect the environment and pure nature. It is also an opportunity for the participants understand how the nature is important to our life and how we can protect our life by nature conservation.

What’s the project like?

This project is in a fairly rural area in The North of Vienam. At night you will be able to listen to the sounds wildlife on a beautiful highland area or you can join in culture exchange night with variety of special music instruments. You also can learn from local people how to make some delicious food and beautiful gifts.

Accommodation

What type of accommodation will I be in?

You will share a room with up to three others in a beautiful home stay. The accommodations are well equipped and have modern amenities such are hot running water, showers and western style toilets.

Accommodation facilities

The restaurants are available  nearby the guest house, then you can join in any meal as your inquiries. You should budget roughly $80 per week for food. In some days, the journey will take a whole day, then foods should be prepared before the journey start and VVS staff will help you chose which is the best food and where to buy. Taking part in the journey, it will get much energy from you, so you should make sure that food suits you to have good health for the trip.

Some night, if having nice weather, we will offer you to have fire camping outside; it will be very fresh and wonderful time and relaxes. Then, you should prepare a sleeping bag for this program.

Things to bring from home

If you are travelling to the project between May and September please ensure that you bring some short and cool clothes, and some warm clothes should be prepared for some cold night. Although the days are usually bright and sunny, nights and early mornings can get cold. Finally, don’t forget some books and other entertainment for relaxing in the evenings.

Cameras, laptop will be very helpful for you to record all interesting things and memorable things. A story book also helps you to relax in your free time

Photos