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Volunteer in Vietnam
Certified B Corporation
★ Rated 4.7/5 (1,461 reviews) 25,000+ volunteers since 2007
Volunteer in Vietnam with Volunteering Solutions in the country’s two great cities: Hanoi, the thousand-year-old capital in the north, and Ho Chi Minh City, the fast-moving commercial hub in the south. Placements are in childcare — including centers for children with disabilities — and English teaching in schools and community classes, and they suit first-time volunteers, students, gap-year travelers and career breakers from age 17 (18 for teaching).
Programs run from two weeks to 24 weeks with fixed weekly start dates in Hanoi (Wednesdays) and twice-monthly starts in Ho Chi Minh City (Sundays), all year round. You live in a volunteer house with the local team on hand, eat freshly cooked Vietnamese food, and have weekends free for Ha Long Bay, Sapa, Hue, Hoi An or the Mekong Delta. Prices start at $809 for two weeks, deposit included.
Volunteer opportunities in Vietnam
3 programs you can join right now — every card below and every link here goes to the program’s own page with live dates and prices.
- Child Care Volunteering Program in Hanoi — For all those loving souls who wish to do something worthy for the underprivileged and disabled children of Vietnam, this is your chance to serve them in the most meaningful manner by volunteering with the kids.
- Childcare in Ho Chi Minh City — Childcare volunteering in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) offers opportunities to make a positive impact on children’s lives while immersing yourself in local culture.The Childcare Program in Ho Chi Minh…
- English Teaching Volunteering Program in Hanoi — Volunteering for the Teaching Project in Vietnam will be an incredibly rewarding and challenging experience where you can gain valuable international teaching experience alongside assisting the…
Make a positive impact in Vietnam
Volunteering in Vietnam offers the chance to make a long-lasting difference in local communities. By teaching English or supporting community development projects, you can help raise the standard of living and give individuals the skills and resources to thrive.
Your work in Vietnam not only benefits the people you serve, but also provides you with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by developing countries.
Volunteering in Vietnam at a glance
Volunteer Projects you can join in Vietnam
Childcare in Ho Chi Minh City
Childcare volunteering in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) offers opportunities to make a positive impact on children’s lives…
Child Care Volunteering Program in Hanoi
For all those loving souls who wish to do something worthy for the underprivileged and disabled children of…
English Teaching Volunteering Program in Hanoi
Volunteering for the Teaching Project in Vietnam will be an incredibly rewarding and challenging experience where you can…
What it costs to volunteer in Vietnam
All-in prices: accommodation, the meals listed for the program, airport pickup where listed, orientation, placement and in-country support are included.
| Program | Location | Duration | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child Care Volunteering Program in Hanoi | Hanoi | 2-24 Weeks | $906 2 weeks |
| English Teaching Volunteering Program in Hanoi | Hanoi | 2-24 Weeks | $906 2 weeks |
Includes the $249 booking deposit (counts toward your total, valid for a year, refunded if we cannot place you). Longer stays lower the weekly rate — each program page has the full week-by-week table.
What your fee covers
- Volunteer-house accommodation in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (air-conditioned, same-gender shared rooms)
- Meals: three a day except Saturdays in Hanoi; lunch and dinner daily plus breakfast supplies in Ho Chi Minh City
- Airport pickup on your start date (HAN or SGN)
- Orientation — in Hanoi it includes a guided day tour of the city on your first Saturday
- Project placement with local coordinator support and 24-hour in-country assistance
- Comprehensive pre-departure guide and certificate of participation on request
Not included
- Flights and the Vietnam e-Visa fee
- Vaccinations and travel insurance (compulsory — our partner policy is available at extra cost)
- Local transport to your placement (city buses and ride-hailing apps are inexpensive)
- Return airport transfer in Ho Chi Minh City, weekend travel and personal expenses
Vietnam programs have a two-week minimum. Ho Chi Minh City is the lower-priced option; the Hanoi programs include the Saturday city tour and an extra daily meal. Both run up to 24 weeks with the weekly rate falling the longer you stay — every program page shows the full week-by-week total.
Where you stay and what you eat in Vietnam
Hanoi: the volunteer house is in a quiet residential neighborhood about 45 minutes by bus from the Old Quarter. Rooms are shared on a same-gender basis and all are air-conditioned; bathrooms are shared with western toilets and showers. There is a fully equipped kitchen, free drinking water around the clock, a lounge, lockers and wardrobes, and Wi-Fi in the communal areas. Our local team's office is on the ground floor, so help is never far away, and ATMs, supermarkets, launderettes and pharmacies are within walking distance. Three meals a day are cooked at the house by local cooks — rice with chicken, pork, fish or vegetable dishes, and a simple breakfast of toast, eggs, coffee and fruit — every day except Saturday, when volunteers eat out. There is no private-room option in Hanoi.
Ho Chi Minh City: a four-floor volunteer house 12km from the airport and 6km from District 1, with four bedrooms (typically four volunteers each, all with air-conditioning, fans and private bathrooms), two terraces, a living room, kitchen, Wi-Fi, washing machine and fridge. A house assistant cooks lunch (12pm) and dinner (7pm) daily and keeps the common areas clean; breakfast is self-prepared from the supplies provided. Tell the cook about allergies or dietary preferences on arrival.
Bring your own towel in both cities. Placements are reached by city bus or ride-hailing apps such as Grab, which the team helps you set up.
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Arriving in Vietnam and who looks after you
Fly in on your start date
Hanoi programs start on a Wednesday: arrive at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), where our country coordinator meets you and takes you to the volunteer house. Ho Chi Minh City programs start on a Sunday: our program representative meets you at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).
Orientation the next day
Thursday in Hanoi, Monday in Ho Chi Minh City: a detailed session on Vietnamese culture and greetings, getting around, safety, food and exactly what your placement expects of you.
Meet your project
In Hanoi you are introduced at the childcare center or school on Friday, spend Saturday on a guided day tour of Hanoi and have Sunday free before your first full week. In Ho Chi Minh City you start at the project on Tuesday after orientation.
Your working week
Monday to Friday at the placement, with evenings and weekends free. The Hanoi team works from an office inside the volunteer house; in both cities a coordinator is reachable 24 hours a day.
Staying safe in Vietnam and who can join
Vietnam is one of the easier countries in Asia to volunteer in: violent crime against visitors is rare, the cities are busy well into the evening, and our volunteer houses are in quiet residential areas with the local team based on site in Hanoi. The main hazards are traffic and petty theft — cross roads slowly and predictably, keep your phone away from the curb (bag-snatching from motorbikes happens in both cities), use Grab or metered taxis rather than unofficial ones, and agree prices before you accept a cyclo or xe om ride. The orientation covers all of this, and many volunteers — including solo women — travel Vietnam independently at weekends.
Health: keep routine vaccinations up to date; hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended, and mosquito precautions matter, especially in the south. Drink bottled or filtered water (the houses provide it). Check NHS Fit for Travel or the CDC and visit a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure. Visa: most volunteers apply online for the Vietnam e-Visa, which allows a stay of up to 90 days; your passport needs six months' validity and two blank pages. Confirm current rules on the official Vietnam Immigration e-Visa portal.
Who can join: minimum age 17 for the childcare programs (with parental consent for under-18s) and 18 for teaching; two-week minimum stay. All volunteers provide a clean criminal background check before their placement. No teaching qualification is needed, but a TEFL course helps you get more from the classroom.
Requirements checklist
- Minimum age: 17+
- Background check: required for placements with children or vulnerable adults — issued within 12 months of your start date, in English or with a translation. How to get one
- Travel insurance: comprehensive cover for your whole stay is compulsory; you can bring your own or take the policy we arrange. Insurance details
- Safeguarding: every volunteer follows our code of conduct for children and vulnerable adults, explained again at orientation. Read the policy
📘 Planning in more depth? Read our Vietnam costs, visa and safety guide.
How we volunteer responsibly in Vietnam
Our Vietnam placements are partner-run childcare centers — including centers supporting children with disabilities — and public schools and community language classes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Volunteers assist Vietnamese teachers and carers: leading conversation practice, running games and activities, helping with feeding and physiotherapy routines under staff direction. You do not replace local staff and you are never left in sole charge of children.
We apply our child and vulnerable adult protection policy in full — background checks before arrival, no photos without permission, no taking children off-site — and we do not offer orphanage visits or short drop-in placements; the two-week minimum exists so that you can settle into a routine that is useful to the center. Your program fee funds the partner that hosts you and the local team that supervises your placement.
Expect real work with real children in busy, sometimes under-resourced centers, and expect to learn as much as you teach. Do not expect to arrive as an expert; the most valued volunteers are consistent, patient and willing to follow the lead of the Vietnamese staff.
Life outside the project in Vietnam
Best time: Hanoi is at its most pleasant from September to November and March to May; winters (December–February) are cool and gray, summers hot and humid. Ho Chi Minh City is warm all year, driest from December to April, with afternoon showers in the May–October wet season. Programs run year-round.
Getting around: city buses cost pennies, Grab works for bikes and cars in both cities, and the Reunification Express train or cheap domestic flights link north and south. Weekends from Hanoi: Ha Long Bay's limestone islands, the rice terraces and hill villages of Sapa, Ninh Binh's karst rivers, and the Old Quarter's street food after dark. From Ho Chi Minh City: the Mekong Delta's floating markets, the Cu Chi tunnels, Mui Ne's dunes and the beaches of Vung Tau; with a long weekend you can reach Hoi An's lantern-lit old town or the imperial city of Hue from either base.
Etiquette: remove shoes when entering homes and temples, dress modestly at pagodas, hand things over with both hands, keep calm and smile when negotiating, and learn "xin chao" (hello) and "cam on" (thank you). Our Things to Do in Vietnam guide plans weekends in detail.
Life in Vietnam
What our volunteers say
Explore other destinations
Your questions, answered
How much does it cost to volunteer in Vietnam?
Programs start from $809 for the two-week minimum, deposit included — one price covering your volunteer-house accommodation, the meals listed for your city, airport pickup, orientation, placement and 24-hour support. Longer stays cost less per week, up to 24 weeks, and each program page shows the full week-by-week total. Flights, the e-Visa, insurance and personal spending are extra.
Do I need a visa to volunteer in Vietnam?
Most volunteers apply online for the Vietnam e-Visa, which permits a stay of up to 90 days; some nationalities have short visa-free entry, but the e-Visa is the safest route for a volunteer placement. Your passport must be valid for six months beyond your return date with two blank pages. Confirm the latest rules on the official Vietnam Immigration e-Visa portal before you apply.
Is Vietnam safe for volunteers?
Yes. Violent crime against visitors is rare in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; the real risks are traffic and motorbike bag-snatching, so cross roads steadily, keep phones and bags away from the road and use Grab or metered taxis. You are met at the airport, live in a volunteer house in a quiet neighborhood — with the local team's office inside the Hanoi house — and have a 24-hour support line. Solo travelers, including women, make up most of our Vietnam volunteers.
What is the minimum age to volunteer in Vietnam?
17 for the childcare programs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (with a parental consent form for under-18s) and 18 for the English teaching program. There is no upper age limit.
How long can I volunteer in Vietnam?
From two weeks to 24 weeks. Hanoi programs start every Wednesday and Ho Chi Minh City programs twice a month on Sundays, all year round; the next available start is 23 Sep 2026. There is no one-week option in Vietnam because the centers need volunteers to settle into a routine.
Where will I stay in Vietnam?
In a volunteer house. Hanoi's is in a quiet neighborhood 45 minutes by bus from the Old Quarter, with air-conditioned shared rooms, lockers, a kitchen, lounge and our team's office downstairs. Ho Chi Minh City's is a four-floor house 6km from District 1 with air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms, terraces, Wi-Fi and a washing machine. Bring your own towel; there is no private-room option in Hanoi.
What are the meals like in Vietnam?
Freshly cooked Vietnamese food. In Hanoi, local cooks prepare three meals a day at the house (except Saturdays, when volunteers eat out) — rice with chicken, pork, fish or vegetables, and toast, eggs and fruit for breakfast. In Ho Chi Minh City a house assistant cooks lunch and dinner daily and you make your own breakfast from the supplies provided. Tell the cook about allergies or preferences on arrival.
Will I be met at the airport in Vietnam?
Yes — airport pickup is included on your start date at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City. Your pre-departure guide tells you exactly where to meet the coordinator. The return transfer at the end of the Ho Chi Minh City program is not included.
Which vaccinations do I need for Vietnam?
No vaccinations are required for entry, but routine vaccinations should be current and hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended; take precautions against mosquito bites, particularly in the south. Check NHS Fit for Travel or the CDC and see a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you leave.
When is the best time to volunteer in Vietnam?
For Hanoi, September to November and March to May bring mild, clear weather; winter is cool and gray and summer hot and humid. Ho Chi Minh City is warm year-round, driest from December to April with afternoon rain from May to October. Programs run all year, so choose by the weather you prefer.
I'm coming alone — will there be other volunteers in Vietnam?
Yes. The Hanoi house and the Ho Chi Minh City house each host groups of volunteers from around the world at any one time, most of whom arrived solo. Shared meals, the Hanoi city tour and weekend trips to Ha Long Bay or the Mekong Delta make it easy to find travel companions, and the coordinators help solo travelers plan safe weekends.
What should I pack for volunteering in Vietnam?
Lightweight, modest clothes for the placement (knees and shoulders covered at schools and pagodas), a rain jacket, comfortable closed shoes, a quick-dry microfiber towel (towels are not provided), a small zipped bag for valuables, sunscreen, mosquito repellent and a basic first-aid kit. Teaching aids, flashcards or children's books are welcome at the centers.
Ready to volunteer in Vietnam?
3 programs · from $809 · next start 23 Sep 2026
Free advice, no obligation. Change program, dates or destination free of charge up to 45 days before you start.