The swearing-in ceremony for the first cohort of Vietnamese Peace Corps volunteers in Hà Nội on Friday. — Photo from US Peace Corps

HÀ NỘI — As part of her first official tour, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn on Friday swore in the inaugural group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Việt Nam during a ceremony in Hà Nội.

“As we approach the New Year, this swearing-in offers us the opportunity to take a moment from our busy lives to appreciate and recognise the power of human connection,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn.

“As the 143rd partner country of the Peace Corps, Việt Nam is a welcome addition to our global community, and I look forward to seeing how volunteers and teachers work together to inspire the next generation.”

The Peace Corps’ English education programme in Việt Nam, officially established with the signing of an implementing agreement in July 2020, is a collaborative partnership between the Peace Corps and Việt Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training.

Since arriving in Việt Nam in October, the nine English education volunteers successfully completed a comprehensive cross-cultural, language, and technical training programme which prepared them to understand and follow the policies and practices of the Vietnamese education system and to co-teach alongside Vietnamese teachers for two years.

Following today’s swearing-in ceremony, the volunteers will begin their work in secondary schools of Hà Nội districts with Vietnamese counterparts and students.

They will join the nearly 900 other Peace Corps volunteers who are currently serving in 45 countries across Africa, Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia, the Inter-Americas, and the Pacific in support of government and community priorities.

In attendance were Government of Việt Nam representatives, including Phạm Quang Hưng, director general of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training, and Nguyễn Tiến Dũng, deputy director general of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training; US Government representatives, including Melissa A. Bishop Chargé d’Affaires of US Embassy Hà Nội; and administrators and teachers from the schools where the volunteers will co-teach. — VNS