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Fantastic 4.54rating (29)
  • Quality Education

Disability & Childcare Centre Support

location
4 - 24 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Work at centres around Hanoi supporting children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and disabilities caused by Agent Orange
  • One placement is the Friendship Village, founded in 1992 by American veteran George Mizo for children affected by wartime dioxin exposure
  • Three meals a day, six days a week, cooked fresh at the volunteer house by local cooks

Highlights

  • Work at centres around Hanoi supporting children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and disabilities caused by Agent Orange
  • One placement is the Friendship Village, founded in 1992 by American veteran George Mizo for children affected by wartime dioxin exposure
  • Three meals a day, six days a week, cooked fresh at the volunteer house by local cooks
  • Arrive Wednesday, orientation Thursday, meet your project Friday and a guided Hanoi city tour on Saturday
  • Halong Bay and the Sapa Valley are both weekend trips from Hanoi
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Support children with autism, cerebral palsy and Agent Orange-related disabilities at centres around Hanoi, including the Friendship Village.

    Vietnam's population is growing fast, its public finances are stretched, and specialist knowledge about childhood disability is thin on the ground. The centres in and around Hanoi that care for disabled children are doing serious work with far fewer trained adults than the children need. That is the ...

    About the program

    Vietnam's population is growing fast, its public finances are stretched, and specialist knowledge about childhood disability is thin on the ground. The centres in and around Hanoi that care for disabled children are doing serious work with far fewer trained adults than the children need. That is the gap this placement fills.

    Where you might be placed

    Preschools, special education centres and disability centres across Hanoi. Placements include:

    • The Friendship Village — founded in 1992 by George Mizo, an American veteran who came back to build something for the children living with the effects of dioxin from the herbicide known as Agent Orange. Most of the residents have autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, physical disabilities or severe intellectual disability. It is not an easy place to work and it is the reason a lot of volunteers come to Vietnam.
    • Khanh Tam Centre, run by a local NGO
    • Xuan Dinh Kindergarten and other preschools
    • Green Rainbow Centre — founded in 2009 by a behavioural psychologist, running early-intervention and inclusive-education programmes with individual, group and inclusive intervention methods

    Placement depends on availability, on what the centres need, and on what you can offer. You may be working with young adults as well as children.

    What you will actually do

    • Care for and play with disabled children — the largest part of the job and the part that matters most
    • Drawing, painting, singing and dancing
    • Helping staff prepare lunch, and feeding children at lunchtime
    • Teaching basic English and numbers
    • Origami, gardening, toy-making and other creative work
    • Administrative help, networking and fundraising if you have those skills
    • Organising collections of books, clothes and shoes if you can

    If you have training in childcare, learning difficulties, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or autism, the staff will use it for clinical and special-educational support. If you do not, that is fine — the qualification is not a condition of joining.

    Be honest with yourself first

    This is emotionally demanding work. Some of the children have severe disabilities and progress is slow. Volunteers consistently describe it as the hardest and the most worthwhile thing they have done. If you want a gentle introduction to Vietnam, choose the teaching placement instead.

    Who it suits

    Anyone 18 or over who is fit, healthy, patient and genuinely willing. A clean criminal background check is mandatory. Volunteers of all nationalities, religions and backgrounds are welcome.

    Minimum four weeks, because children who rely on routine deserve more than a passing visitor.

    Typical day

    Your first week runs to a fixed pattern:

    • Wednesday — Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN). The country coordinator meets you and takes you to the volunteer house.
    • Thursday — Orientation with the local team: safety, culture, language, transport, behaviour, food, and what to do with your ...

    Typical day

    Your first week runs to a fixed pattern:

    • Wednesday — Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN). The country coordinator meets you and takes you to the volunteer house.
    • Thursday — Orientation with the local team: safety, culture, language, transport, behaviour, food, and what to do with your time in Hanoi.
    • Friday — Introduction at your project. You meet the staff and see where you will be working.
    • Saturday — Guided day tour of Hanoi, included.
    • Sunday — Free, to explore and get your bearings.

    Monday to Friday — the working pattern

    • 7:45am — Start at the project
    • 10:30am to 2:00pm — Long lunch break. Lunch is provided at some of the more distant placements; otherwise volunteers eat together at a restaurant near the project
    • Afternoon — Back on the floor with the children
    • Around 5:30pm — Home to the volunteer house

    It is a long day on paper, but the middle of it is a genuine break — the long lunch is how Vietnam handles the heat.

    Hours — Roughly five hours of actual work a day, depending on which placement you get.

    Evenings and weekends — Free.

    🚩 The programme ends on a WEDNESDAY of your final week and you leave the accommodation that day. Book your flight home accordingly.

    Schedules vary by placement and can change at short notice. Flexibility is expected.

    Free-time activities

    Your first Saturday is a guided day tour of Hanoi, included in the fee. After that the weekends are yours, and northern Vietnam is one of the best regions in Asia to have weekends in.

    Halong Bay — Limestone karsts out of green water, three hours from Hanoi. Overnight boat trips are the standard ...

    Free-time activities

    Your first Saturday is a guided day tour of Hanoi, included in the fee. After that the weekends are yours, and northern Vietnam is one of the best regions in Asia to have weekends in.

    Halong Bay — Limestone karsts out of green water, three hours from Hanoi. Overnight boat trips are the standard volunteer weekend and worth doing properly rather than as a day trip.

    Sapa — Rice terraces, mountain villages and homestays with Hmong and Dao families, reached on the overnight train or a sleeper bus.

    Hanoi itself — The Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Museum of Ethnology, water puppet theatre, and street food that justifies the trip on its own. Bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee.

    Ninh Binh — Halong Bay's landscape on dry land, and easier to reach for a single day.

    Further afield — Da Nang, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City are all cheap flights. Most volunteers keep a few days free at the end of the programme to travel south.

    Evenings are for the markets and the eateries near the house, or the bus into the Old Quarter with the other volunteers.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Education Requirements

    at High school level

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check, CV/resume, copy of passport and proof of travel and medical insurance.

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    No qualification is required. What matters is patience, energy and a genuinely flexible attitude. Training or experience in childcare, special education, learning difficulties, autism, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome will be used by the staff for clinical and educational support. You must be fit and healthy.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 07:30 - 17:30

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    What the fee covers

    • Accommodation in the volunteer house for your whole stay
    • Three meals a day, six days a week, cooked fresh at the house by local cooks
    • Airport pickup at Noi Bai International
    • Orientation, and a guided day tour of Hanoi on your first Saturday
    • Your placement, with a coordinator introducing you at the project
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information
    • 24/7 in-country support and local coordinators
    • Certificate of participation on request

    What it does not cover

    • Daily transport to the project
    • The return airport drop — most volunteers use a ride-hailing app, which is cheap
    • Saturday meals
    • International flights, visa fees and vaccinations
    • Travel and medical insurance (available through us at extra cost, and mandatory)
    • Personal spending and weekend travel

    Note: there is no private room upgrade at the Hanoi volunteer house. Everyone shares.

    Airport Pickup at Noi Bai International Airport

    Pickup is included on arrival. The return drop is not.

    🚩 Arrive on a WEDNESDAY at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) — that is the programme start day. The country coordinator meets you at the airport and takes you to the volunteer house. Full details come in your pre-departure guidebook once you book.

    🚩 The programme also ENDS on a Wednesday and you leave the accommodation that day. Book both flights around those two Wednesdays.

    🚩 The return airport drop is not included. Ask the local team for help, or do what most volunteers do and book a Grab or taxi from the house — it is straightforward and inexpensive.

    Noi Bai has direct connections across Asia and to several European hubs, so most volunteers arrive without a domestic transfer.

    Accommodation

    You stay at the volunteer house, in a quiet, friendly neighbourhood about 45 minutes by bus from Hanoi's Old Quarter.

    Same-gender shared rooms, all air-conditioned. Shared bathrooms with western-style toilets and showers.

    What is there:

    • Fully equipped kitchen
    • Lounge to hang out in
    • Free drinking water, 24/7
    • Wi-Fi in parts of the house, including the communal area
    • A locker for each volunteer, plus wardrobes

    The local team's office is on the ground floor of the house. That is unusual and it makes a real difference — if something goes wrong, or you just want to ask a question, someone is downstairs rather than across the city.

    ATMs, supermarkets, launderettes and chemists are all within walking distance.

    🚩 There is no private room option here. If you need one, this is not the right placement.

    Food & Beverages

    Three meals a day are included, every day except Saturday. That is more generous than most placements in the region, and the food is cooked fresh at the house by local cooks rather than bought in.

    Breakfast — Toast, eggs, fruit, coffee and tea.

    Lunch — At the volunteer house, or at your project: some of the more distant placements provide it, and otherwise volunteers eat together at a restaurant near the project during the long midday break.

    Dinner — Proper Vietnamese home cooking: pork, fish, beef or chicken with tofu or egg, several vegetable dishes, rice and a soup.

    Saturdays are your own — which is the day most volunteers go into the Old Quarter and eat their way round it. Bun cha, pho, banh mi, egg coffee.

    Free drinking water is available at the house 24/7.

    Vegetarian and other dietary requirements — Tell us on your application form so the cooks know before you arrive.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi. We assist you to find cheap flights to Vietnam. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Vietnam provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Vietnam you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Vietnam. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    🚩 Arrival is a WEDNESDAY, at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN). Programmes start on the Wednesday you select, so book your flight for that day.

    🚩 The programme ends on a Wednesday too, and you leave the accommodation that morning. Plan your outbound flight around it.

    Arrival pickup is included. The country coordinator meets you at the airport and takes you to the volunteer house.

    🚩 The return airport drop is not included. Most volunteers use Grab or a taxi app, which is cheap and simple from the house.

    🚩 Daily transport to the project is not included and the volunteer house is around 45 minutes by bus from the Old Quarter. Budget for local transport across a long placement.

    Documents — A clean criminal background check is mandatory before your placement. Bring your CV and a passport copy too.

    Visa — Vietnam's rules vary by nationality and change fairly often; some passports get visa-free entry, others need an e-visa in advance. Check your own position early, especially for stays over 30 days, and ask us if you are unsure. Visa fees are not included.

    Insurance — Travel and medical insurance is mandatory. It can be purchased through us at extra cost.

    What to bring — Light clothes, but modest ones: shoulders and knees covered at the project. Rainwear for the summer, and a warm layer if you are coming between December and February, when Hanoi gets genuinely cold and damp.

    When to come — Weekly Wednesday starts, year-round. Hanoi is hot and wet from May to September, cool and dry from October to April; October and November are the pleasantest months to work in.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $256 per week 4 - 24 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    4 - 24 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Asia > South East Asia > Vietnam > Hanoi

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Education  >  Special Needs in Vietnam
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    1. - 1. Jan 1

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