First cohort of 10 volunteers from Peace Corps to Việt Nam arrived at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội on Thursday. — Photo from the US Embassy

HÀ NỘI — The United States Government’s agency Peace Corps welcomes its first ever cohort of 10 volunteers to Việt Nam on Thursday.

The focus of the Peace Corps programme in Việt Nam is English education, as outlined in an Implementing Agreement signed in 2020 between the US and Vietnamese governments with Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) as Implementing Entities.

Fully aligned with MOET’s national priorities for English Language Education, these Peace Corps Volunteers will serve in secondary schools throughout the districts of Hà Nội beginning in January 2023, after 10 weeks of comprehensive training to build the cultural understanding and skills necessary to work effectively in Việt Nam’s educational system.  They will be assigned to co-teach English classes alongside Vietnamese English teachers.

Prior to leaving the United States, the Volunteers gathered on October 25, 2022 in Washington, D.C., where they heard remarks and words of encouragement from Ambassador Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US.

The arrival of this first group of Volunteers marks a significant milestone in the US-Việt Nam relationship, building on decades of growing people-to-people ties and close partnership to promote English language learning.

Peace Corps is an independent agency under the Executive Branch of the US government which operates a volunteer programme to provide host governments with assistance on their development priorities. 

Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, over 240,000 Americans have served as Volunteers in more than 142 countries. 

Việt Nam is the 143rd country to invite and partner with the Peace Corps. — VNS