I took part in a medical project in Ho Chi Minh. I have to say that this trip is pretty suitable for medical students just like me. I helped the patients with their IVs, changing medicine, transferring meds and pulling out needles as well as cleaning the wounds.
As a medical student in China, who is going to study for the second year, I haven't been to the operating room or help the patients by myself, but in Ho Chi Minh, what I have experienced made me relized being a doctor means more than helping and caring but responsibility and the ability to cope with stress.
Thx for the project, i believe I will stick to being a doctor in the future.

Applying via IVHQ to the medical placement in Ho Chi Minh City is one of the best choices I have ever made in my life. I'm super impressed by how prompt the replies from the organisation are, making me felt so safe and ready before the program started. Not only is the pre-trip online support very useful, but they also send you emails during and after the trip asking how are you doing. In addition, the first week of arrival was an orientation week, when we had chance to learn vietnamese culture, including their language and how to roll the springrolls. I enjoyed that "culture week" a lot! Also, I am very grateful that despite the well-organised schedule of the program, the timetable is very flexible that we have plenty of time to explore the city, and even book a flight to travel around! I have never expected to have booked a ticket to travel to Hanoi in order to visit one of the 7 wonders of nature, the Ha Long Bay, in my second weekend trip. The travel agent in the hostel where we live was very helpful and our weekend trips would not have been this perfect without the organisation by the travel agent. The staffs and local students (since we live in the hostel of Saigon Tourist Hospitality College) are very nice and friendly. They even showed us around the city and brought us to try their local food. The most unforgettable experience is trying their traditional food, balut. Although eating a half-fertilised duck egg seems so disgusting, it actually tastes okay. After this trip, I really think that south east asia is such a lovely place to explore, and I wish I could spend more time to travel some other places in Vietnam!

This was my first time volunteering abroad and my experience in Ho Chi Minh City was unforgettable and life-changing. The program offered the opportunity to build a relationship with the program coordinators, the other volunteers, and the children in the orphanage (my placement).
We stayed in a college in the city and were offered a lot of support by the local staff. It was easy to communicate with the staff and they were very willing to help.
There was wifi and the meals were provided by the college restaurant, staffed with Vietnamese students. In this case, you're also able to meet local students that are potentially around your age to find out more about the culture and aspirations of the younger generation.
Overall my experience in Vietnam was unforgettable and very well worth the nervous worrying that took place before my departure.

What I love about IVHQ is that they offer an affordable alternative to your typical vacation for young professionals. While most of my friends take a week off to head to the beach, I was able to learn a new language, interact with a different culture and make friends from all over the world. I had never been to Asia, or travelled alone before and IVHQ offered me the support and opportunity to do so. Next time you are thinking about how to spend your vacation days-- consider taking the adventure of volunteering abroad in a new country. Now for the category by category break down:

Impact:
The program I worked on was called “Feeding the Homeless.” Every morning we would leave the local school where we were living around 7 a.m. and take a bus to the soup kitchen (although rice kitchen might be a more apt term). I was fortunate enough to have the chance to work with another volunteer who had been there for 7 weeks already. It was obvious the kind of relationship someone who had volunteered for longer through the program was able to make. On his last day the local staff baked a cake and threw a going away party for him!

Support:
IVHQ works with a local provider to run their programs. The onsite staff, Anna and Leigh, were very supportive and always around if I had a question. I had a staff member meet me at the airport (along with a few other volunteers) and make sure we got to our housing. Once at our housing they gave us a map of the surrounding area, made us lunch and gave a couple of tips for crossing the road (harder than you might think when no one obeys the traffic lights!). Overall there was enough support for me to feel safe, but also the freedom to explore on my own and be more independent if I wanted.

Value:
Full disclosure, IVHQ waived my fees for volunteering in Ho Chi Minh as part of the Go Overseas paid PAID vacation program. However, when talking to the other volunteers they noted that they had chosen IVHQ because it was much cheaper than other volunteer programs. Besides housing we also got meal tickets (3x day) and entry into Independence Palace, The Vietnam War Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels during culture week.

Fun:
This is a fairly subjective category but I would say it is hard not to have a good time in Ho Chi Minh. There are about four different programs going on through IVHQ which means there are lots of other international volunteers around to make plans with. Leigh (one of the program staff) recommended loads of fun weekend trips (I went to Mui Ne-- a definite must!). The project itself was more rewarding than fun. We worked hard -- chopping vegetables, setting tables, washing dishes, etc. -- but the local staff and people we got to interact with while serving made it all worthwhile. One of my favorite parts was actually the culture week where we got to explore the city, learn the language and make some authentic dishes. I think the more you know about a culture the more you can appreciate it. Another highlight was a dinner that Leigh put together where all the volunteers got to meet local students who were learning english. We all had a blast trying to communicate in broken Vietnamese/English and the night ended in singing and dancing.

Safety:
We lived a bit on the outskirts of town but there was never a time I felt unsafe. We all stayed in bunks with 6 - 8 other volunteers and they locked the gates at night after 11. As long as you use common sense (not carrying around valuables, let friends know where you’re going, etc). you should be perfectly fine!

Overall:
This was my first time in Asia, and a developing country. Volunteering with IVHQ was a great way to travel on my own, learn about the culture, and meet other people. As I mentioned earlier, I also highly recommend it as an alternative to your typical vacation for a working professional. Getting out of the country and traveling alone gave me a chance to get outside of my comfort zone in a way its really hard to do in "real life". Feel free to email me at any time if you want to learn more about my trip! mallory@gooverseas.com

One of the greatest stories I have from my time in Ho Chi Minh is a simple one. Within the first 30 minutes of meeting my fellow volunteers, we were planning a weekend trip together to the beach town of Vung Tao, Vietnam. We were frantically looking at websites and listings to book a cheap hotel, when I paused and looked around the room at everyone... from Ecuador, Portugal, England, Germany... All corners of the world. I remember saying to my new friends: "Can you believe it? We didn't know each other an hour ago, and I feel like I've known you my whole life." It was a beautiful moment, and just the beginning of some beautiful friendships.

My experience volunteering in Ho Chi Minh City was definitely amaIng.
Every aspect of the program was great. Starting from the staff members of the Green Lion, they are all very nice, helpful and very knowledgeable. Anna is great support the while time, Leah provided the best introduction to the culture,food and showed us many points of interest in Saigon, Dung was also a great support for the volunteers and organised many activities to maintain the group together.

The accomodation and facilities are good, comfortable bed, wifi, a common area for meetings or just to interact with other volunteers. Te food provides also succed my expectations, the students from the Saigon tourism school cool as part of their program and there's many of options to choose from.

The program itself was very nice, is very satisfying to see the progress of students after you have teach them something. At the beginning they can be a bit shy but after some words with them, the words will flow.

Absolutely loved my time here... From visiting halong bay to hoi an and then trekking sapa in the most insane conditions. Our trip to sapa was one of my favourite moments. It was drizzling and we were walking down a mountain as a path was being cut out of the corn and bamboo plants around us. Some points were so wet and slippery that we purposely sat on our backsides and slide down the hill.. Only to end up covered in mud and rips in our pants.

Since coming home from my trip, everyone has been asking me how it went. My answer every time is that I loved every aspect of. I will never forget the experience, the people, or the memories I made. Everyone at Greenlion was friendly, accommodating, and felt like family. The volunteers were all wonderful and extremely welcoming as well. The services provided from the school was impeccable. I was fortunate enough to sit in on a few different volunteer programs. I was on the medical placement and the experience was definitely eye opening. The daycare was really fun and went by really quick. Teaching English was by far my favourite. The students were lively, engaged, and fun to work with.

An experience that really stood out to me was during a daycare shift. I am fortunate enough to be one of the volunteers that was able to fluently understand and speak Vietnamese. At the daycare, the children are mainly exposed to English speaking volunteers. It is already hard for those with special needs to communicate, so imagine trying to communicate with a foreigner! I was working with a young girl in a wheelchair and she looked really uncomfortable and she was un-cooperative. I looked her in the eyes and asked her in Vietnamese, are you okay? Are you hurt? I immediately saw her body ease and her eyes showed she wanted to say something, but physically she couldn't. She smiled.

I had volunteered with hopes of making a difference, and I felt like my time and presence was truly appreciated. Volunteering has definitely made a difference in my life thanks to IVHQ.