Learn more about Vietnam —
Siem Reap, Cambodia — See Angkor Wat! Optional ADD ON to Vietnam Village Trek
Enrolled Vietnam participants must confirm by April 22 if they are choosing the add on trip to Cambodia. Global impact must have a minimum number of participants to run the Cambodia option.
August 15 Arrive PM from Hanoi (accommodations included) August 16 Day 1 - Health campaign August 17 Day 2 - Health campaign August 18 Day 3 - Explore Angkor Wat historical site including Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and other temples August 19 Depart or extend on own
$250 for 4 nights including housing (double/twin), transportation, and the $20 entry to Angkor Wat for one full day of exploring. For the health campaign in a village school, the NGO will provide translators and basic supplies in suppport of the 2 day campaign which is to provide health examinations and apply flouride varnish.
You will need to arrange your own travel from Hanoi, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Our partner in Cambodia: Ponheary Ly Foundation Read our story on CNN Heroes
Dates: August 3 - August 13, 2013 Note: Dates do not include travel time to and from Seattle. Program Cost: $1,895
Leaders: TBA
World Nomads (WN) filmed our 2009 Vietnam Village Trek. WN documentaries are featured on CNN, National Geographic Channel and in-flight entertainment on 30 airlines.
View video: Positive Footprints - Vietnam Village Trek.
Powerpoint presentation about Vietnam
Reflections on Vietnam from GI participants: Hai Nguyen | Robin Rowedder
Previous Vietnam Village Trek Video - View Trip Highlights ( len: 5 mins )
View photos and updates of the Vietnam trips on Shutterfly 2011 trip | 2010 trip | 2009 trip
Vietnam Trek Release and Addendum (include signed release with application) Apply now to hold your space!
Seattle-area healthcare professionals and SCCD students/staff will join Vietnamese physicians, nurses and other volunteers on a medical trek and community development project in remote villages in the Mai Chau Highlands, Northern Vietnam. Our goal is that participants will be involved in all phases of the village campaigns. Our Village Development Project includes strategic activities that will impact the overall health of the community. For example, in 2009, Global Impact renovated latrines and kitchen facilities at village schools, working alongside local workers. Our healthcare clinics include basic medical and dental services.
Each year, the exact itinerary is updated to reflect new villages. View sample itinerary
Examples from the sample itinerary, prepared by our Vietnamese hosts:
Day 4: Hanoi-Mai Chau - Hang Kia Village After breakfast we depart Hanoi for Hoa Binh province and the town of Mai Chau. This scenic drive takes around three hours. Along the way we pass fields of tapioca and sugar cane as well as rice paddies. We arrive in Mai Chau and will be welcomed by local officials and health workers (some of them will join us over the next four days). We will also meet with our local crew including cooks and porters who will carry our equipment. After lunch in a traditional stilt house of the Thai people, we drive for one hour to Sa Linh Village to begin our trekking. The verdant and rugged mountain scenery combined with the colorful local population makes this an unforgettable experience. Today we walk along gravel tracks and small paths, used by the locals. Our destination for this evening is Hang Kia village, home of the H'mong Minority people. Here we stay overnight as the guests of an H'mong family in a traditional long house, situated in a picturesque valley of peach orchards.
Day 5: Working day in Hang Kia Village We will start early and set up our working place in the village surgery which is staffed by a local H'mong who has attended some public health training sessions in Mai Chau. Today, we will provide health examinations for approximately 200 people — many of them have never received a health examination by a doctor in their entire lives. We will also offer basic dental services, especially targeted to children. We will also provide health education focusing on hand washing and oral hygiene. Our Village Development volunteers will work side by side with local craftsmen to renovate the facilities (building sanitary latrines and kitchens) of local schools to improve the health of the children. At the end of the day, we will pack everything for a long walk the next day. Our porters will carry the equipment and supplies.
Day 6: Trek Hang Kia - Van Village Today we get well and truly off the beaten track as we trek through tropical rain forest, using the local tracks and passing through cornfields as we descend into the Mai Chau Valley. On the way, we will encounter the local villagers as they go about their daily business tilling the fields, logging or herding buffalo. The trek will take around 7 hours and is quite steep in places. It may also be slippery if there have been recent rains. Lunch will be provided en route, and weather permitting, we will have a picnic near a babbling brook at the foot of the valley. From here we pass through several White Thai villages, and are sure to attract attention as this part of the country receives very few visitors. We will arrive at Van village by late afternoon and we will have time to walk around this charming little village, enabling us to understand a little more about how the people live. The village is home to the Thai people, and tonight we will be their guests in one of their traditional stilt houses. NOTE: For participants unable to trek 7 hours, there is optional transportation available. However, previous participants count this full day of trekking in the rainforest one of the highlights of the trip.
To sign up and reserve your place on this exciting trip, complete the application form. Limited scholarships are available for Seattle Community Colleges students.