It’s a place where handmade water puppets spin elaborate tales, singing kites soar overhead, highland markets promise the hope of love to young villagers, and Mekong River markets float. A passion for beauty flows from poetry and paintings, from palaces and pagodas. It’s a beauty rooted in the past and complimented by the natural surroundings of the present. Sharp-angled mountains, cloaked in dense foliage, jut from forest and sea. Impossibly long stretches of white sand shimmer under the warm afternoon sun. Lush vegetation masks rivers edge. Immense caves gulp seawater. Da Nang will reach out her hands and welcome you as you arrive to care for 100s of patients each day that live in the mountains and near the beaches of the famous Central Coast. Come hungry!
Your team will focus on acute medical and dental needs and health education. As with every IMR team, your team will provide expert medical care (including labs, wound care, respiratory treatments, hydration, and medications) and classes on hand washing, oral hygiene, purification and storage of drinking water, family planning, safe sexual practices, stretching/pain management and more.. You will see families, the elderly, war victims, and vibrant young people. You will fall in love with your patients who will greet you shyly with their warm smiles, a gentle rubbing on your arm and cheek, and hugs and kisses to thank you for caring for them. There is beauty on every corner and in every face you see. The lined faces of the elderly will tell you a story and the hope in the young people will send you home ready to come back to Vietnam to share their passion once again.
Your team will work on the Central Coast of Vietnam You will have the opportunity to get to know two distinct cultures within this beautiful country as you travel out each day to small villages on the plains and in the mountains. Your team will stay in a modern hotel in Da Nang and in comfortable accommodations in the mountains. You will enjoy the most flavorful foods available in Vietnam, including mì quảng (rice noodles with turmeric and fish or meat), bún chả cá (fish ball noodle soup), bún mắm (seafood gumbo), cánh gà chiên mắm (fried chicken wings in fish sauce), and mít trộn (a salad mixed with jackfruit and pork rind). Don't miss the Pho - soup for breakfast is the only way to start the day - although the strong Vietnamese coffee, sweetened with thick condensed milk, isn't a bad way to start things off either!
Your ground transportation will be comfortable buses driven by safe and professional drivers. Sit back and enjoy the scenery!!
While the most rewarding aspect of this trip will be caring for Vietnam’s rural residents, many of whom suffered terribly during the French and the American Wars. You’ll also care for beautiful families on this trip! You'll find their gratitude overwhelming and many of their conditions challenging and complicated. If you ask, you will also hear their stories and learn much about life in rural Vietnam.
The team will visit the ancient port city of Hoi An, with a visit to the local market and a view of the river. The market offers a wide variety of goods sold by many different vendors, including clothing, silk, jewelry, flowers, and foodstuffs such as dried fruit and fish, plus coffee, tea, and wine. Sellers are eager but polite, asking you to make them lucky today with a sale and a smile! You'll see the wondrous caves of the Marble Mountains and spend time in Hue, where the magnificent Tombs of the Ancient Emperors and the Tu Hieu Pagoda can’t be missed. What could be better?
You’re journeying halfway across the globe, have you considered extending your stay to visit some of Vietnam’s top spots? Join International Medical Relief on an exclusive trip extension provided by our partner, Worldwide Navigators!
- Exploration of Thein Canh Son cave, covered in stalactites and stalagmites
- A luxury boat cruise in Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Kayaking Tour around Vung Vieng, a floating fishing village
