• Community Features
• Alumni Directory
• Update My Info
• Photos

Vocation and Vacation in Vietnam

Faculty from the French and Nursing departments will be returning to Vietnam for the third time to combine vacation with vocation. Travel destinations include Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), DaNang (China Beach) and Hanoi. We will experience the diverse culture of this lush, tropical country and develop an appreciation for its rich traditions and people through travel, dialogue with health care providers, health assessments and service projects. Participants will work with organizations to provide care to orphaned children and young mothers; educate health care providers at a women’s hospital, general hospital, and university; and assist organizations with other needs. Experience traditional foot massages, eating Pho noodles with chopsticks, drinking Weasel coffee unique to Vietnam, and bartering in the open markets. Excursions include rickshaw rides, tours of the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, the Pasteur Institute, War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon; a Vietnamese cooking class; water puppet theater unique to Vietnam; and a cruise on Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you are willing to lead a continuing education session to health care providers, complete health assessments on children, work with new mothers and their children, or have other non-health care related skills to share this is an incredible opportunity to combine vacation with vocation. While we have a special need for health care providers (nurses, dentists, physicians, pharmacists, social workers, etc.), all gifts are welcome! From consulting on electrical wiring to sharing art, yoga, English or another area with the children, you are welcome to join us. Our partners are excited to learn from us whatever it is that we are able to share. Join us for this global service opportunity through Concordia.

Day I - February 19 - Travel
Our adventure begins as we depart on our international flight to Vietnam!  We enjoy meals, beverages, and movies in flight as provided by the airlines.

Day 2 – February 20 - Saigon
Upon our arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) we will be picked up and transferred to our hotel in Saigon.
Accommodation: Lavender Hotel

Day 3 – February 21 – Saigon City
After breakfast we begin our city tour of Saigon at 8:30 am. We will visit the Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. After a group lunch, our afternoon will include Vietnamese tea/coffee tasting and a visit to a handicraft lacquer-ware factory that employs workers/artisans who are victims of Agent Orange. Our day will be capped off by traditional hour long foot massages in the hotel spa.
Accommodation: Lavender Hotel
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 4 – February 22 – Saigon
After breakfast, we will drive out of the city to spend the day at Mont Lucon Orphanage, where we will interact with the staff and children.
Accommodation: Lavender Hotel
Meal: Breakfast

Day 5 – February 23 – Saigon – Cu Chi – Pasteur Institute
We leave the hotel for Cu Chi to visit the infamous Tunnels after breakfast. The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of underground tunnels that date back to 1948. They were used by the Viet Minh in their struggle against the French. These tunnels were expanded and used by the Viet Cong during the war between Vietnam and America. Americans called them the “Iron Triangle” recognizing them as a stronghold of the Vietcong for almost thirty years. Our tour will include a walk through the tunnels. In the afternoon, we will return to Saigon for a visit to the Pasteur Institute.
Accommodation: Lavender Hotel
Meal: Breakfast

Day 6 – February 24 – Saigon – Danang
After breakfast, we will participate in a cooking class at the Saigon cooking class center where we will discover the culture of Vietnamese culinary art. With the Grand Chefs, the group will experience "hands-on" cooking (and tasting!) of Vietnamese traditional dishes. The cooking class will include a visit the local market with the chefs to learn about key Vietnamese ingredients. Upon completion of the class, participants will receive a "Certificate of Recognition," a handbook with all recipes and a souvenir. In the afternoon, our driver will take us to the airport for our flight to Danang.
Accommodation: Sandy Beach Resort
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 7, 8, 9 – February 25-27 – Danang
Our three full days in Danang will focus on service projects with a local orphanage, an unwed mother’s home and local hospitals. Group members will be asked to share their gifts, talents, and vocation to provide health assessments; activities for infants, children and mother; education of health care providers; and general facilities’ improvement (e.g., painting).
Accommodation: Sandy Beach Resort
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 10 – February 28 – Danang – Hoi An – Hanoi
After breakfast, we will leave our hotel at 8:30 am for a tour of Hoi An, recognized as one of UNESCO's fifth World Heritage designated sites in Vietnam. From the 16th to 18th centuries, HoiAn was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, and Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in ceramics and high grade silk, which is still produced in the area. Today, HoiAn is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailor shops, and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century. We will enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. After lunch, we will take a short boat trip to a nearby island to visit a handicraft village specializing in ceramics and the boat building yards. In the afternoon, we will drive to the airport for our flight to Hanoi.
Accommodation: Hoa Binh Palace
Meal: Breakfast

Day 11 – March 1 – Hanoi
After breakfast, we will have a full day city tour of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. This day tour takes us to selected highlights that this beautiful, romantic city has to offer. We will go to the Ho Chi Minh Complex, the Temple of Literature, Museum of Ethnology, Ngoc Son Temple and enjoy an hour cyclo tour (modern rickshaws) around the old quarter. In the evening, we will enjoy a traditional water puppet show at the Thang Long Theatre.
Accommodation: Hoa Binh Palace
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 12 – March 2 – Hanoi – Halong Bay
We will be pick-up at our hotel after breakfast for a 3 ½ hour drive to Halong Bay where we embark on Oriental Sails. We will savor a delectable lunch on the Oriental Sails as we cruise along the limestone islands of Fighting Cock, Turtle Island. In the afternoon, we will visit the amazing Sung Sot Cave and kayak along the hidden parts of the bay. The evening is available for swimming, taking photos or just relaxing as the sun starts to set. We will enjoy dinner with other guests. We will spend the night on board.
Accommodation: Oriental Sails
Meal: Breakfast

Day 13 – March 3 – Halong Bay – Hanoi
The day begins with swimming, exercise or a photo hunt for early risers. Breakfast will be served at sunrise. We continue our cruise to Ba Hang Fishing Village, past Dog Rock and Incense Burner, and head back to the Harbor. We disembark Oriental Sails at around late in the morning when we will be transported to the airport for our flight home.
Meal: Breakfast

Insurance

Contact

Registration

Registration Form
Health Form