About Vietnam: At the invitation of the Quang Ngai People’s Committee, Vietnam Community Service participants live for a month in the communes of Tinh Hoa and Binh Phu, each of which is a few kilometers from My Lai. During the Vietnam War, American forces, suspecting My Lai villagers of supplying food and shelter to the Viet Cong, decided to “teach them a lesson.” At 7 a.m. March 16, 1968, despite meeting no resistance, U.S. troops burned and destroyed entire communities, shooting and bayoneting fleeing villagers and raping women and young girls. Despite this unspeakable history, local people are as friendly, kind, curious, and welcoming as any on this planet. Set among rice paddies, flowing rivers, rolling hills, and miles of deserted sand beaches bordering the South China Sea, these communities of rural farmers and fishermen are among the poorest in Vietnam, with a per capita income of about $80 US per year.

The Project: Many residents live in simple shacks with mud floors which flood frequently. The focus of each group’s work is the construction of new homes for four families chosen by community leaders because of their particular need. Working alongside skilled local craftsmen, participants divide into work crews, removing the old homes and erecting new structures. A portion of participants’ tuition underwrites the cost of each new home. Students also teach English in the community and undertake other projects identified by local leaders. After work each day, there is time to play volleyball and other sports with Vietnamese friends, to swim at the beaches, and to explore nearby villages. In our third year as the first American organization to be granted permission to undertake such a project in central Vietnam, participants have a special responsibility to reach out to local people who are completely unfamiliar with Western life. The group lives in simple accommodations, enjoying healthy and delicious Vietnamese food cooked by local women.

Weekends: The group explores the former Ho Chi Minh Trail, and visits picturesque, oceanside city of Hoi An. The program ends with three days in lively Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), where students explore the War Remnants Museum, the Unification Palace, and endless street markets and cafes.