In April we did a “Volunteer Vacation” in Vietnam with a company called GlobeAware. It was a mix of service and touristing and it was a blast. The service involved building a brick house for a woman whose house was falling apart, painting rooms and building a chicken coop for a deaf school (Hearing and Beyond), teaching English, and visiting a hospital. The tourist activities included Cham Island, My Son ruins, a couple of afternoons at the beach, and shopping. Some of us also fit in an amazing bike tour (Heaven and Earth) on the last day before heading to the airport for our 12-hour layover in Seoul.

Here’s a 5-minute video that’s focused on the service –

And a much longer one with all the activities –

And, of course, some photos –

A mess of electrical wires in Vietnam

Hearing and Beyond School for the Deaf

Lantern seller

Bamboo root beards

On the bridge, Day 1

Sunrise – Hoi An

Hoi An bridge

Bike tour – Hoi An

Hearing and Beyond School for the Deaf

My Son ruins

Bike tour – Hoi An

My Son ruins

My Son ruins

Vegetable market

Cham Island group shot

My Son ruins

Tourists

Japanese Covered Bridge

The Hill Boys in Hoi An

Night market reflections

Eyes on the fronts of the boats

Getting measured for a suit

Taking a boat to another island – bike tour, Hoi An

Hoi An 2019

Cham Island

Cool design

Golden Peach Villa in Hoi An

Hare Krishnas

Selling lanterns

Cool roof – Cham Island

Cool roof – Cham Island

Cham Island

Boat and river in Hoi An