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Volunteer
Vietnam Locations
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10-Day Volunteer Program in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Join us on an unforgettable 10-day group volunteer trip to south Vietnam! The program is based in Ho Chi Minh City ("Saigon"), with daytrips to the Mekong Delta and the Cu Chi District. Come see why Cosmic Volunteers has quickly emerged as one of the true leaders in providing meaningful volunteer trips to Vietnam!
Highlights of Program
Dates:
Custom dates are also available year-round.
Program Fee: $995 USD
Included in Program Fee
Not Included in Program Fee
Group Leaders Go for Free
Location The program is based in Ho Chi Minh City ("Saigon"), with daytrips to the Mekong Delta and the Cu Chi District. HCMC is Vietnam's economic and pop-culture center, truly a city on the move. You will quickly become familiar with its legendary motorbike traffic, friendly locals, intriguing markets, and some of the world's finest cuisine. Locations in south Vietnam for this trip View View in a larger map
Volunteer Work at the Children's Shelters In one of the typical shelters where our volunteers work in HCMC, there are 20+ children, ranging in age from 4-17. Some are truly orphans, while some have been abused by parents and/or have parents who are so poor that they cannot even afford to feed them. The children attend regular schools during the day outside the shelters, but at varying intervals so there are always children at the shelters. Your volunteer work will involve helping them with homework, practicing their verbal English, playing games, arts and crafts, sports like football and badminton, sharing any special talents/skills you have (music, art, dance. language), and generally sharing your caring and love with them. Volunteers also occasionally do physical work to improve the shelters, such as painting walls, light repairs, and cleaning. We will also take the children on an excursion to the Mekong Delta, which includes a boat ride and tour of the famous floating markets.
Volunteer Work with Buddhist Monks Through this unique program, volunteers visit Buddhist monks and nuns at their pagodas and temples for conversational English. Most of the monks and nuns range in age from 17-30 and are students at the "Vietnam Buddhist University" in Saigon. Many aspire to get masters degrees so they can then travel to countries where they can live at temples and practice Buddhism where English is spoken, such as in India. As a volunteer, your job is simple: have everyday conversation with the monks in English, on any topic. This is a great opportunity to learn about Buddhism from those who are devoting their entire lives to its principles and practice. You will discover that they do not often have the opportunity to speak to native speakers like you, so this is very special to them. The monks and nuns are very "modern" and open to most any topic of conversation, with great senses of humor (like most Vietnamese!). They all ride motorcycles, have cell phones, and Internet. One of the pagodas is located in District 8 in HCMC. Over 300 years old, the pagoda has 5 monks in residence with 15-20 more who come for there for the English program. The monks invite neighbors and volunteers to their daily meditation/chant session, in case you are interested.
Accommodations You will stay in a 3-star hotel in the heart of District 1 in HCMC. Rooms include air conditioning, western toilets, hot water and WIFI. The hotels are located in the tourist area called "Pham Ngu Lao" (which is also a street name). The hotels are clean, secure, and within walking distance of hundreds of restaurants and tourist sites. There is a large recreation park in the area which is great for early-morning exercise and to meet locals, many of whom arrive by 5am to beat the heat!
Meals Your program fee includes lunch and dinner every day. Our group will take our meals at Vietnamese restaurants and marketplaces. Vietnamese cuisine is inexpensive and delicious, with staples like noodle soup ("pho"), vegetables, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and tropical fruits. A typical meal, eaten at all hours of the day and night by locals, is a rice-noodle soup with chicken and vegetables called "pho ga" which costs about $1. There are also western food choices available, including burgers and KFC.
Is there an orientation? We provide a one-day introduction that takes place when you arrive in Ho Chi Minh. We will go voer you with information on the culture, language, religion, volunteering and more. We will complement your orientation with a walking tour of Pham Ngu Lao in order to get your first real exposure to the culture. Keep in mind that when you first sign-up, you will receive our Volunteer Handbook for Vietnam which has detailed information on all aspects of your stay.
Local Transportation Our staff will meet you at the airport in Ho Chi Minh. We will also arrange and accompany you on all ground transportation during your trip. This includes airport pickup and drop-off, commutes to the volunteer work, daytime excursions, nighttime activities. You will travel on private coach buses or minivans, depending on the size of your group.
Requirements of Volunteers
To officially sign-up and reserve a spot, please complete the following two steps:
The deposit guarantees your place and is fully refunded in the unlikely event that we cannot offer you a placement. The deposit of $250 USD counts toward the total balance of your program fee of $995 USD. If you wish to pay the deposit by credit card, we accept credit card payments via Paypal. Our account with Paypal is team@cosmicvolunteers.org. If you prefer, we would be happy to send you an invoice via from Paypal for the deposit. To pay by check or money order, please make payable to "Cosmic Volunteers" and mail to the following address: Cosmic Volunteers
How far should you book in advance? Most volunteers book 3-6 months before their program start date. However, we can usually arrange a program at the last minute, so please contact us as soon as possible if you want to travel in the near term.
Pre-Trip To Do List All items must be completed no later than 30 days before program start date.
Entry Requirements for Vietnam
*After you sign-up officially, we will go over the visa process and instructions for the visa form.
Vaccinations For vaccinations and health care advice, we follow the Centers for Disease Control recommendations for Vietnam. Vietnam's Immigration Department does not require travelers to have any vaccinations. The most common illnesses for travelers are from food and water (Travelers Diarrhea and Hepatitis A). Make sure that you are up-to-date with routine shots such as for measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT, polio, etc.).
Communications Phones: Internet:
Dress Code For your volunteer work, we recommend khaki pants / capris and to cover the shoulders (short-sleeve t-shirts are fine). For women: please no cleavage or short-shorts, as it is disrespectful to locals (even though it's highly unlikely anyone would say something to you). For footwear, flip-flops or sandals are fine. Sunscreen and hats are a must on all outdoor excursions.
Money Matters We recommend that you bring at least $100 USD (or equivalent) in cash from home, then exchange this at the airport in HCMC for Vietnamese Dong. Vietnam is largely a cash-based society, so expect to pay cash for everything. Credit cards are seldom accepted, except at higher-end hotels and travel companies. Even where credit / debit cards are accepted, we still recommend cash because of the security risk. There are ATM's available everywhere, although not all of them work with foreign cards. The ATM's dispense $100 USD per day maximum (2,000,000 Dong). If you need more, you can walk into most banks with your passport and ATM card and have a teller do a larger transaction.
Safety HCMC and other cities in Vietnam are safe if you follow normal safety precautions:
Photos, Video, Electronics > Always ask before taking a photo or video of someone. > Be very careful when wielding your cameras in public -- for anti-theft purposes. The worst place for a camera abroad is usually around your neck, as it's visible and easy to snatch from you. > When flying or on a bus: always pack electronic equipment in your carry-on bag (laptop, cameras, mp3 player etc) so they are always in-sight. > Always-Always back-up your photos/video regularly -- even on a daily basis! Transfer them to a laptop, smart phone, pen drive -- anything so that you have backups in case your camera is lost/stolen/damaged.
Passport When flying, always carry your passport on your person and not your bags. Cargo pants with deep/secure pockets are a good place to hold the passport. Consider keeping your passport in a Ziploc baggie at all times, to protect it from sweat / dirt / humidity / spilled drinks -- both when flying and when in Vietnam. You do not need to carry your passport to your volunteer job each day. However, when you travel around the country, please carry your passport with you (again - on you person).
Is the program fee tax-deductible? Yes the program fees and all expenses related to your volunteer program, including airfare and the program fee, are tax-deductible for US taxpayers. The tax-deduction is also available to parents and donors who pay expenses on behalf of a volunteer. Please consult a tax professional regarding your individual tax situation. Cosmic Volunteers is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
For further information please contact Scott Burke:
Fly with Us
Itinerary
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At the Shelter
Cu Chi Tunnels
Buddhist Monks
Water Puppets
Mekong Delta Daytrip
Ho Chi Minh Skyline |
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