Project in Brief:
This Project has been done in Vietnam in March 2010. 5 international students and teachers on Vietnam Student Tour have come and built a house for an extremely poor family living in the heart of Mekong Delta Vietnam.
Location of service project:
This happened in a small community in the Mekong Delta near Can Tho City. This community is named Tam Binh, a hamlet at Vinh Long Province, Mekong Delta Vietnam
Description of the project:

Ms. Na in her house before our help
Why this project?
In this Vietnam Student Tour, helping with the repairs on a local family’s house was really necessary, as the family couldn’t afford to do it themselves. Without our collaboration they would have probably spent the next few rainy seasons with a lot of rainwater leaking in through their ceiling and flood in their dusty ground. Additionally this project was a wonderful chance to connect with our service community as we did get a real taste of the family ambiance and had the chance to work side by side with locals.
Ms. Na was a lady who lived with her daughter and grand-daughter. She was a farmer with a small piece of rice farm and another small piece of garden to plan bind-weed. She had 2 more sons but one was very far away and the other was next door but extremely poor. Their house was so old that it couldn’t resist water at that wet season. Actually she had a preparation by saving money for a long while and bought 6 pillars for a new house. However, she has had a fall from her bed at midnight two month before and then half of her body can’t move, as well as all her saving has been gone.

We work under instruction of a master
Her food supply was now thanks to the little support from the poor son. The daughter was inborn crazy and had a child without father’s name.
Then these three people would have got wet from the roof since May 2010 and from high tide since Oct 2010 if we had not arrived this community.
What we really did at the service project:
Fixing roofs that have been damaged by hard rains.
Fixing the walls to make the house completely proof from raining water.
We also make the ground to help to avoid the flood.
What was entailed in this Vietnam Student Tour?
Some of the tasks that we did do in order to repair the thatched roof include:
Disassemble the old house and save the good beam for the projects
Dig the holes to make bases for the house. Settle rocks there to make it strong
Erect pillars
Assemble beams to new frame
Hand roofing materials up to family members on the roof to settle metal roof on the beams
Build low brick wall at house ground
Carry sand from boat to the ground and make it strong and stable
Tie leaf plates to make wall of the house
Make doors also by leaf
Put brick on ground to make it beautiful flat ground
Resettle kitchen
Additional tasks
We did make a chicken cage and buy this family a hen to start a new small business.
We did make a duck cage and buy this family 10 baby duck for a good business.
What was chedule?
10 March 2010: we arrive Mekong and make friends, get arrangement
11 March 2010: five will disassemble the house; the rest will dig bases and erect the pillars
12 March 2010: connect beams, settle roof and start to make the ground
13 March 2010: continue the ground, carry more sand to ground, make wall by leaves
14 March 2010: make doors, cement the ground
15 March 2010: arrange inside, settle the old furniture for her, grand opening, go back to Saigon
Who were working on the project?
Everyone from the family participate in the project. The uncles and two sons and other relatives contribute the most physical labor. Two neighbors also join the project since the second day. On top of those, we have a building master who instructs us what to do, arrange people’s responsibility (and fix the tasks done by us in not a way it should be done).
Length of working days and hours:
The group arrived near the host community on March 10th and there were 4 full service days and a half in the community (March 11-14). Our daily schedule starts at 8:00 AM in the morning and then had break for lunch at 11:00 AM. The afternoon shift starts at 1:30 PM and ends at 5:00 PM).
Other activities at the community host at our Vietnam Student Tour:
Visit a pagoda and explore Buddhism at the community
Cycling along trails of the village
Boat trips at the maze of canals to get the introduction of the life in Mekong Delta
Boat trip to the floating market, a special feature at Mekong Delta Vietnam
Deliver gifts to school boys and girls nearby
Listen to Mekong folk music
etc
Donations:
All the materials, including rubber boots, work helmets and work gloves were provided in Vietnam. Some students did like to bring donations to the community school supplies (notebooks, pens, pencils) and that was a so much fun time to interact with local schools kids.

Safety terms
/0 Comments/in Information /by Long NguyenBecause safety is at top priority at Green Summer Campaigns, the following describes the steps we take to ensure our trips are safe and injury free.
Tool Instruction
Students are required to wear proper shoes when working at community project sites, especially when using heavy equipment. (Please see the picture on the right). The use of woolen gloves and helmets are advised, and sometimes required based on the project. We provide gloves and helmets and students should bring their own footwear.
Emergency back-up plans.
When evaluating potential community service project sites, we carefully consider what resources are available in the event an evacuation is necessary. We only choose sites where hospitals and health care centers are nearby, and map how quickly we can arrive there. Chaperons and teachers will be provided a copy of these arrangements upon arrival.
Basic health and allergy information
Students must complete a form requesting basic health condition, which includes allergies and food preferences.
Other health and safety considerations.
Life jackets on boats: We often have boat trips along rivers and we always have life jackets on board.
Students are advised to bring plenty of insect repellent.
Green Summers provides luggage name tags and identification information to our front office so that any student can be located at any time.
Do you have any other concerns?
Villages where we run our Community Service Programs
/0 Comments/in Information /by Long NguyenEvery year, we add new destinations for our community service projects. We choose new locations based on the immediate needs of the villagers.
Current projects available now are:
BenTre – Mekong Delta Vietnam
Ben Tre is Vietnamese for ‘The land of coconut trees’, as 75% of villagers earn their livelihood by planting coconuts since the land can’t sustain a rice crop. During the Vietnam war, this area experienced much fierce fighting, and is one of the poorest places in the Mekong Delta.
Bentre is also the name of the Province where the village of BenTre is located. There are many other districts nearby. While our community service project takes place in a very rural area, the village’s proximity to Hochiminh City makes it easy logistically for travelers to get to the region. It also facilitates the use of our service vehicles.
Beautiful canopies of coconut trees provide shade for us as we build roads and houses, and repair a school. The coconut tree canopy is a unique feature for this community project, and is a backdrop for the maze of canals that crisscross the village. The hospitability of the local people, who are so grateful for our help, cannot be beat. This – making this experience one of a lifetime.
If you think a community service project in Bentre is right for you, let us know.
Vinh Long – Mekong Delta Vietnam
Vinh Long is famous for being ‘The land of tropical fruits’. Hundreds of beautiful floating markets slowly wind their way down branches of Mekong River, sustaining villagers through the trade of tropical fruits.
Our community service project in Vinh Long takes place within the tropical fruit gardens, and is punctuated by easy logistics, gorgeous delta views, interesting cultural experiences, delicious tropical fruits, and long boat trips following alongside the floating markets.
If you think a community service in Vinh Long is right for you, let us know.
Tra Vinh – Mekong Delta Vietnam
Tra Vinh is another poor village in the Mekong Delta, and is home to the Khmer people in Vietnam. Tra Vinh is also the land of Theravada Buddhism, and the countryside is filled with beautiful many pagodas of stunning architecture. The religious sects that live in the part of our country are different than others, but all live in harmony.
If you think of community service in Tra Vinh is right for you, let us know.
Don Duong – Dalat the highland
Different from places along the river of Mekong, Don Duong is another village along the Mekong River, very near dalat city which is 1500m above sea level, making the weather cool and comfortable all year round. Don Duong is famous for being the home of the K’ho minority people, and exploring their unique culture is a real highlight of our trip here.
Don Duong is also famous for huge plantations of vegetables, flowers, tea and coffee that grow here. The area is also known for its large pine trees, hand-woven fabrics, and the special wine made from jungle leaves. Our time in this area will be enhanced by experiencing the unique dance and music by the Gong people, acknowledged as a World Heritage treasure by UNESCO because the music has been passed down orally through thousands of generations.
If you think a community service in Don Duong is right for you, let us know.
Sia – small town by the citadel at Hue city – Central Vietnam
Sia is a peaceful and beautiful town surround by a large lagoon and situated 15 km from Hue, the place of an important citadel from the last dynasty in Vietnam. This picturesque area is perfect for anyone interested in photography, and its splendor has been captured many times by visitors.
The people of Sia give daily thanks to lagoon fishing and rice farming for sustaining them. The sandy land cannot support crops, so no real plant harvest exists, unlike other parts of our country where the land is very fertile. In addition, it often rains over 3000 ml a year in this part of the country, making it more difficult for business, travel and farming. These hardships make life is Sia challenging, and as a result the area is among the poorest in all of Vietnam.
Sia is one of the villages of the South nearest to the river that separated two parts of Vietnam before 1975. The village suffered greatly during the war, and there are many sad stories told by veterans about the war’s impact on the village.
The community service project in Sia will include a visit to the King’s citadel, boat trip on the river, visits to king’s mausoleum (the gates to a new heaven for the Kings), traditional music and royal dinners that were once only for the King’s families.
If you think a community service in Sia is right for you, let us know.
Khe Sanh – Quang Tri – DMZ Vietnam
Khe Sanh is famous worldwide for being the site of the fiercest battle during the Vietnam War, where tens of thousands of soldiers died. It was the biggest hotspot of the Demilitarized Zone, which marked the border separating the Communist North from the US backed South from 1954 until the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
A community service project here is a unique experience. There is little to see except endless desserts where rice can’t grow, the martyr cemetery (the home to thousands of unnamed soldier’s graves), and countless adults and children wounded by land mines. The poverty is almost unimaginable.
However, this stark area is a wonderful backdrop for students to experience what life is like for people less fortunate. Villagers here open their arms and hearts to us, as we are helping them make their dreams come true. This community service opportunity is very powerful emotionally.
If you think a community service in Khe Sanh is right for you, let us know
Regular Q&A
/0 Comments/in Information /by Long NguyenHouse for Ms Na on a Vietnam Student Tour
/0 Comments/in Community Service Projects /by Long NguyenProject in Brief:
This Project has been done in Vietnam in March 2010. 5 international students and teachers on Vietnam Student Tour have come and built a house for an extremely poor family living in the heart of Mekong Delta Vietnam.
Location of service project:
This happened in a small community in the Mekong Delta near Can Tho City. This community is named Tam Binh, a hamlet at Vinh Long Province, Mekong Delta Vietnam
Description of the project:
Ms. Na in her house before our help
Why this project?
In this Vietnam Student Tour, helping with the repairs on a local family’s house was really necessary, as the family couldn’t afford to do it themselves. Without our collaboration they would have probably spent the next few rainy seasons with a lot of rainwater leaking in through their ceiling and flood in their dusty ground. Additionally this project was a wonderful chance to connect with our service community as we did get a real taste of the family ambiance and had the chance to work side by side with locals.
Ms. Na was a lady who lived with her daughter and grand-daughter. She was a farmer with a small piece of rice farm and another small piece of garden to plan bind-weed. She had 2 more sons but one was very far away and the other was next door but extremely poor. Their house was so old that it couldn’t resist water at that wet season. Actually she had a preparation by saving money for a long while and bought 6 pillars for a new house. However, she has had a fall from her bed at midnight two month before and then half of her body can’t move, as well as all her saving has been gone.
We work under instruction of a master
Her food supply was now thanks to the little support from the poor son. The daughter was inborn crazy and had a child without father’s name.
Then these three people would have got wet from the roof since May 2010 and from high tide since Oct 2010 if we had not arrived this community.
What we really did at the service project:
Fixing roofs that have been damaged by hard rains.
Fixing the walls to make the house completely proof from raining water.
We also make the ground to help to avoid the flood.
What was entailed in this Vietnam Student Tour?
Some of the tasks that we did do in order to repair the thatched roof include:
Disassemble the old house and save the good beam for the projects
Dig the holes to make bases for the house. Settle rocks there to make it strong
Erect pillars
Assemble beams to new frame
Hand roofing materials up to family members on the roof to settle metal roof on the beams
Build low brick wall at house ground
Carry sand from boat to the ground and make it strong and stable
Tie leaf plates to make wall of the house
Make doors also by leaf
Put brick on ground to make it beautiful flat ground
Resettle kitchen
Additional tasks
We did make a chicken cage and buy this family a hen to start a new small business.
We did make a duck cage and buy this family 10 baby duck for a good business.
What was chedule?
10 March 2010: we arrive Mekong and make friends, get arrangement
11 March 2010: five will disassemble the house; the rest will dig bases and erect the pillars
12 March 2010: connect beams, settle roof and start to make the ground
13 March 2010: continue the ground, carry more sand to ground, make wall by leaves
14 March 2010: make doors, cement the ground
15 March 2010: arrange inside, settle the old furniture for her, grand opening, go back to Saigon
Who were working on the project?
Everyone from the family participate in the project. The uncles and two sons and other relatives contribute the most physical labor. Two neighbors also join the project since the second day. On top of those, we have a building master who instructs us what to do, arrange people’s responsibility (and fix the tasks done by us in not a way it should be done).
Length of working days and hours:
The group arrived near the host community on March 10th and there were 4 full service days and a half in the community (March 11-14). Our daily schedule starts at 8:00 AM in the morning and then had break for lunch at 11:00 AM. The afternoon shift starts at 1:30 PM and ends at 5:00 PM).
Other activities at the community host at our Vietnam Student Tour:
Visit a pagoda and explore Buddhism at the community
Cycling along trails of the village
Boat trips at the maze of canals to get the introduction of the life in Mekong Delta
Boat trip to the floating market, a special feature at Mekong Delta Vietnam
Deliver gifts to school boys and girls nearby
Listen to Mekong folk music
etc
Donations:
All the materials, including rubber boots, work helmets and work gloves were provided in Vietnam. Some students did like to bring donations to the community school supplies (notebooks, pens, pencils) and that was a so much fun time to interact with local schools kids.
Project scopes
/0 Comments/in Information /by Long NguyenAt Green Summers, we continually seek out new types of student community service projects. We carefully research new places, assess community needs and ensure that appropriate accommodations for our students are available before moving forward. We build risk assessment and evacuation plans, evaluate transportation options, consider traffic and safety and make sure the experience will be, above all, educational for our students. We develop multiple back-up plans in the unlikely event that something unexpected occurs.
Our project types vary from public construction that will positively impact an entire hamlet, such as building a bridge and setting a cement road to building a house for a poor family. We build libraries to support educational goals, and improve sanitation by building toilets. Each trip includes ample opportunities to travel and experience the dramatic and magical Vietnamese countryside.
We carefully consider the ages of our student volunteers, their interests and physical labor abilities. We offer three group opportunities, each of which starts with 5 days of community service followed by several days of cultural and historical discovery and relaxing as compensation for our efforts. Our student community service opportunities are classified as heavy, moderate and standard levels:
Heavy Level Projects:
Green Summers creates heavy level projects suitable for anyone who loves hard work, is energetic and fit, and would to accomplish a huge amount of work that will exceed their imagination. Tasks for these projects include carrying mortar by the bucket under the tropical heat, cutting tons of steel into small pieces, flattening roads before paving and creating cement by mixing rock, sand and water into mortar. Examples of past heavy projects include:
Mekong exploration and community project: 5 days of hard work in the Mekong Delta followed by days of historical discovery and beach fun. Projects have included building roads, renovating schools, fixing houses and creating a bathroom where none existed for school children.
Community project with indigenous people and tropical beach: 5 days working in a highland setting and living nearby a minority people followed by several days of sightseeing, experiencing the local culture and relaxing at a beach. These projects have included fixing a bridge, and re-building water supplies.
A village South of Hanoi: 5 days working in a poor village nearby a national park plus visiting the , followed by a trip to experience the beauty of Hanoi, the colorful culture features of minority people and relaxing on Halong Bay, a spectacular UNESCO world heritage site of with geographical significance. Typical projects focus on rebuildinbg water supplies.
Community service in Centrale Vietnam: Perhaps the poorest land in a very poor country, rural central Vietnam has many needs. We can visit any number of sites, such as Sia, a village next to Hue City or Khe Sanh, the famous battle field at war time. The service includes 5 days of improving irrigation systems to support rice cultivation. The rest of the time is spent exploring valuable historical sites and enjoying traditional boat trips.
Moderate Level Projects:
Moderate level projects include one or two days of hard work described above, but with more time for less strenuous in-door jobs like like painting, decorating, arrangement and instruction. Examples of previous moderate level projects include:
Creating a library: Transforming a room in a local school from nothing to an attractive and appealing library by adding a metal roof, cement, wood, paint and contributing your artistic abilities. Books are loaded onto the shelves, a book search system is developed and then we instruct students how to use the library and inspire them by reading in English.
Standard Level Projects:
Standard level projects are suitable for students who are not interested in manual labor but who have the energy and interest to contribute in other meaningful ways, such as transferring knowledge and teaching new skills for members of the community. These projects require students with great communication, social and interpersonal skills.
Raise the environmental awareness among a community: These community service project occur in National Parks, beaches or slums where we have come to install rubbish bins, decorate buildings in disrepair, deliver brochures on environment issues and talk to the locals about reducing littering.
English teaching programs: We provide volunteers an opportunity to teach English to younger children, read stories, and inspire a love of education through enthusiasm.
Green Summers contributes all materials needed for our projects, organizes local volunteer labor and hires skilled local people to keep our projects running smoothly. Upon successful completion of a volunteer program, students receive a certificate for 40-100 hours of community service. And leave with memories that will last a lifetime.
Please email us if you would like additional detail about any of our
The road to future in a Vietnam educational travel
/0 Comments/in Community Service Projects /by Long NguyenService project: Construct a paved pathway
When: In March, 2013
Location of service project: In a small community in the Mekong Delta near Ben Tre City. This community is named Thanh Thuy, belonging to Ben Tre province.
Description of the project:
We did construct a paved pathway for seven of the families in the community to access. This project will be organized and supervised by Mr. Ba Phuong, a retired soldier and experienced in this area.
Why this project was important?
At this point, it is impossible for the seven the families that live at this edge of the village to afford a paved pathway. They commute via motor bikes, bicycles and by foot so it is very difficult to do so, especially during the rainy season when the dirt path turns to mud. This project will greatly assist the community, facilitating an easier way to travel. The villagers will find it easier to transport rice back home by bikes. More services will be able to approach these families such as home appliance repairing. The rain season witnesses a lot of people fall down from bike and even walking. This paved road is far safer, especially for children and school pupils. The road is also a shortcut for villagers to go to the rice farmer faster, then this saves their time for rice field job. Additionally this project will be a wonderful chance to connect with our service community as we will get a real taste of the family ambiance and have the chance to work side by side with locals.
Why was this project chosen over other potential projects? Exactly the villagers have several things that needs our help. We chose the paved road because this brings the local not only convenience, the safety, the business development, but also the belief of a new road to go in life. The convenience is the ease and fastness of transporting things home; the safety is for all not to fall down to mud, making clothes dirty and even making themselves injured; business development is to boost up more traffic.
Where there is a new road, there is a new way
What was entailed?
The path wasl be 574 feet/175 meters long and 23.6 inches /60 centimeters wide.
We did
Who were working on the project with us?
The journey of a house – Community Service Project Vinh Long
/0 Comments/in Community Service Projects /by Long NguyenIn 2010 we starts our mission of connecting people by the first Community Service Project Vinh Long. We did make a great journey to give and to get at the community. The journey is full of emotion that we will never forget.
The first day for the Community Service Project Vinh Long.
We were a group of 3 students, 2 teachers and one project leader on a great trip of Community Service Project Vinh Long. We come to the town Tam Binh in one afternoon after a beautiful boat trip along canals and fruit gardens, old houses, folk music and fantastic fish dish. Vinh Long is a famous province for tropical fruit gardens. Our project and homestay are around fruit gardens too.
After the bus stop, we should walk a while along a cement road to come to the house of Ms. Na where we did have inspection before and decided to share a hand with her. We made her a new house. Along the trail, every body said hello to us from in the middele of nowhere. That made us so happy.
We came to her house and, as Long described before, it was completely rugged, and we needed to fix that before the raining season was coming. If we did not do that, the raning would make floor wet and muddy. The bed would be wet with leaking from the top. We made friends with the family and promised to come back the next day.
The real jump into the Community Service Project Vinh Long.
We started the day by digging soils to make the ground of the new house higher then before. This was important to avoid flood. We also did dig holes for the pillars to be installed later. This job looked easy but this made us boring for a while. However, the more we work the more we feel excited about the project. We really spent a whole day on moving soils to make the ground of the house higher. We did that with a support from axes, bamboo baskets, bambbo stretchers and even troleys.
We should wear helmets and gloves all the time as this would protect us from some accidents.
The excitement increased when we started to build the base of the house at the Community Service Project Vinh Long. We had one master builder and two assistants of him. They were in charge in the skillful jobs like building and planning. Meanwhile, we were very good at other jobs. We brough sands, cements and mix them with water to make mortar. We cut steels and attach one another to make frame of steels. We brough mortar and bricks to builders to make sure they always have enough to build the house fast.
The sun was hot but we can have a rest sometimes at teh shade of trees at the garden of Ms. Na. The fruit trees are still young, but still fruit trees.
We had learn the basic knowledge about the construction with the instruction of the builders. We should clean the bricks and put them to water. These steps would make the cement work better with bricks.
Among the working process, we aften get supported not only by human labour but also fruits and sweeties. Some men had collect coconut from a garden nearby and we had so lovely drinks.
We also try to do something more skillful. Look at one of our builders of the day. We really did that and feel we truly got hands on building a house literately. There were mistakes done but our master builders are skillful enough to fix and make everything right again.

We were so happy to see the shape of the house formed. Things were done step by steps, and we had to do many things to arrive this. Our bodies were exhausted but we felt we were wtill very strong.
The most happy person were Ms.Na. She cried all day as seeing the shape of teh house. She walked in then walked out then did it again, wit tears. There were years this was just a dream and it was coing very near. Many people from neighboring houese also comes to share happiness with her. Every body was so haoppy for her.
This should be one of our greatest moments to remember among our the Community Service Project Vinh Long. Kanako had touch some buttons, with the instruction of the truck driver, to load the sand from the truck to the house.
At some dangerous parts of the project, we needed to atay away a short while. The master builders will do the job. making roof was of some small percentage of risk and we don’t want any. We stayed a the garden, having some games to play. And the roof was made in a very short time.
The shape of happiness at the Community Service Project Vinh Long.
We have make the floor great by the teracotta tiles. Seeing this picture and you should imagine that this was teh first time ever this girl can crawl in her house. It was soil only before and it’s even muddy at the raining season.
We continued by putting coconut leaf to frame to make the wall of teh house. We learn to do it very fast.
The happy moment of the whole family and our gang: we had fished the house. It was not splandid but it is much better than the house of Ms. Na before. She and her daughter and granddaughter would be warm in the house now even at raining season. Wind did not go thru her house now. Water did not make the ground slippery now. The grand daughter can crawl in her house now. We have changed life at a poor community in Mekong Delta Vietnam.
We get changed too. We are happy to bring happiness to other people. We feel the value of sharings and giving to the right person.
We did it.