Trip of a Lifetime

I volunteered with Green Heart Travel over the summer of 2017. Initially I was hesitant to go to Vietnam alone for 5 weeks as I had never been to Asia and didn't speak any Vietnamese. However, as soon as I arrived in Hanoi I began having an amazing time. The volunteer coordinators were amazing. Most of them were young in their late teens or early twenties and so were most of the volunteers so we all got along really well. They showed me how to take the bus to my volunteer location and after riding with them a few times I had no problems going by myself (but I usually took an Uber motorbike because it was a lot more fun ;) ). I volunteered with autistic 2 year-olds at a private preschool on Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 to 4:00 with a long lunch/nap break in the middle of the day. On the weekends most of the volunteers would group together and travel to some other part of Vietnam. Some of the things we did on the weekends were hiking, sightseeing, and even a cruise! The volunteer helpers (not their officially title, I'm just not really sure what to call them) told us about a great travel agency that we usually went through. The volunteer helpers were super helpful when we wanted to book bus, train and plane tickets. Lots of people would ask for a couple days off and visit Cambodia or Laos on the weekend too (I would seriously recommend getting a multiple entry visa!).
Overall, I loved Hanoi! It has probably been the best travel experience I have ever had (I've been to over thirty countries). There was so much to do every weekend and every night we were never bored! I loved Hanoi so much that when I graduate I want to move there and spend a year teaching English. Since doing this program I have been to several other Asian countries and Vietnam is definitely my favorite. If you have never been to Asia, or even if you have, this is the place to go!