Vietnam

I did a volunteer program with WLS International in Vietnam in 2009 and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! The coordinator was just fantastic. Nothing was too much for her, anything I needed regarding my program or personal things she was always ready to help. Thanks to her help it was very easy to settle in and to enjoy this amazing experience. The orphanage was such a worthwhile experience, I felt very useful and welcome. A volunteering experience like this really changes your perspective on life and enriched my life in a fantastic way. Thanks WLS International!
Peter

I was very disappointed with the disconnect between how the program was presented to me and the reality of my situation.
The partner organization in Vietnam, VPV, is the main problem. I am a seasoned traveler and used to many different cultures and environments so was not expecting five star accommodations or anything like that.
In fact, the housing was fine. It's the program which leads much to be desired. First of all, the teacher's flat is occupied during the day by the VPV staff members who watch your every move, take clothes and rifle through your belongings. At night, there is also a staff member on guard watching your every move.
You are not allowed to have guests come to your flat.
The most disturbing thing I found was the turnover of the English teachers. Out of the seven teachers I knew to be affiliated with the program ALL SEVEN were "released" from the program without reason or the pay/compensation promised to them being given only 24 hours to fully vacate the premises.
The VPV makes money for every hour that the English teachers work so they push the teachers to work unrealistic hours and do not compensate them appropriately. Most English teachers in Vietnam make approx $300 a WEEK but VPV only gives $300 a month (if you even see the money, which most likely you will not) and you work more hours so it's essentially slave labour.
But I as mentioned, the controlling staff, and cheap pay is nothing compared to the reality that one day, for no reason at all they will kick you out. Not one English teacher that i know of has successfully completed a teaching program through vpv.
keep that mind and go through another organisation.

Having volunteered before I looked forward to my trip to Vietnam with WLS. Unfortunately I was most disappointed. I selected Vietnam because WLS had a home base (a good way to meet other volunteers) instead of a hotel. What they don't tell you is that you are staying in someone's house. A house that runs multiple businesses, has different people that you don't know roaming around the house all hours. On top of that the bathroom hygiene was unacceptable (note: I do stay at $10/night places so I wasn't expecting luxury!) I ended up moving to a hotel. The main problem with WLS was the placement. I volunteered at a food kitchen. What a well oiled machine it was there. Many local volunteers of all ages gave up their time to help. It was a great, honest organisation providing meals to those in hospital that would otherwise go hungry. The problem was simple. If the food kitchen runs perfectly well with local volunteers why did I pay around $1000 to volunteer there? If a charity can support itself locally then I would have much preferred to volunteer where my services were actually needed.
The WLS contact gave me incorrect information about the hours the food kitchen operated, particularly the start time and the days of operation. The first day I arrived 30 minutes before their 2 hour break. As no one spoke much English I had no idea what was going on. I sat there waiting the first day not knowing that the volunteers actually start at 7am. So by the time my contact brought me to the kitchen and left, I then sat for an hour not knowing why we weren’t working. Luckily on the 2nd day a volunteer spoke English and I got all the details.
The WLS contact were very nice and friendly but did not know anything that was going on. I do blame WLS for this and not the staff. I am sure they are only paid a small amount to house these volunteers and that’s it.
After the 2nd morning I did not speak to anyone from WLS and even after the trip WLS did not contact me at anytime asking for feedback. If they had I would have let them know how unhappy I was with WLS direct instead of writing it in this forum.
You are doing yourself a disservice by paying large amounts of money to any volunteer organisation which are out of touch with what the local community actually need. I am sure that there are many organisations in Vietnam that could benefit from foreign help, unfortunately mine was not one of them.

Where do I start?
First of all, I paid 800 dollars to do this program. The partener organization company based in Hanoi was controlling, incompetent and dishonest and GC did NOTHING to help.
The Hanoi based company stole my passport, claiming that it needed to be filed away with the local police. After a few attemptes to get it back, I had to call my embassy.
Now, problems with GC. On their website, their programme promised me a number of things that I did not get, including a higher salary and travel allowance. I emailed GC FOUR times to complain and maybe get some momey back but I got no response. All in all, until after I handed over my cheque, I got ZERO support from them! They are a BUSINESS, they only care about your money, and as far as I can tell, don't really care about the welfare of the poorest in the nation--or else they would not have put me in the richest school in Hanoi!
Bottom line: they only want your money and so randomly hook up with corrupt partner organizations. I would NOT go with them, there are many FREE volunteer chances. Stay away from GC!

My experiences with IVHQ were very positive, the staff were a pleasure to deal with and were happy to answer any questions I had either on the phone or via e-mail. Everything was done in an efficient manner, for example, one week before our placement was due to begin in Hanoi there were serious floods so we were unsure what was the best route to take, we were offered the chance to complete our month of volunteer work in Saigon instead (which we decided to do) and this was organised within 24 hours.
I believe it was good value for money and we were provided (In the dorm accommodation) with a comfortable living area, meals and a great social experience. We were also given the opportunity to have two Vietnamese lessons per week (optional) by a local vietnamese volunteer, this was great and came in handy at the orphanage and in daily life (i.e- the markets, shopping etc).
The orphanage program was great, and the kids were beautiful. I worked in three orphanages (2 with disabled children and one with children who had HIV, one of the disabled orphanages also had "babies rooms" where we fed and played with babies who had been abandoned but were not disabled).
The local staff in Vietnam were lovely and a pleasure to work with.
Overall a great experience, and I would recommend this program to others in the future.

PROS: met amazing people, changed my perspective on things, sweetest children at the orphanages, great food, house was in a decent location, neighborhood felt safe, neighboring locals knew there were foreingers in house and were friendly, nightlife, very cheap prices compared to other programs, had a lot of time to travel, flexible, had internet in house, washing machine...
CONS: airport pick-up came late, staff introductions were bad, disorganized, did not enforce rules, cold showers, staff seemed random and untrained, new program so they're still learning, a lot of miscommunication, didn't get bus pass badges - got bus passes - so we didn't need passport photos, some volunteer sites took over an hour to reach, no structure at teaching english sites, didn't tell you what to do at orphanage sites, just let you on your own...
All in all, I had a great time. You'll have expectations every where you go and might get disappointed here and there... but that's normal on any trip you go to. The culture is different and it's all a learning experience.
I lived in a great house, had a bed, had free lunch and dinner, free bus passes, had weekends to myself - had a good time. :)