The Food Shop program is run by NGOs and works with the local community to provide low-cost, subsidized meals. The program relies on donations, local support, and volunteer help.
So, lend your support to the food shop’s operations and immerse yourself in the local culture!
In this program, your support will be welcomed to help provide quality meals to people in need.
Your contribution involves tasks such as helping with food preparation, serving, and cleaning.
The Smile Food Shop was established in 2012 to help people by offering low-cost lunches. The shop is run under the direction of an NGO, in collaboration with local residents.
The program continues to operate even during closures of the NGO-managed facility, including a one-month closure around the Tet holiday. During these periods, volunteers will prepare meals on-site in the kitchen of our accommodation, and free meals will be distributed to patients and local workers at a nearby hospital.
As a volunteer, you will be able to perform various tasks:
However, you will not be allowed to cook, as this falls under the legal responsibility of the establishment.
Between 300 and 500 people benefit from these meals, including the elderly, local workers, people with disabilities, students, and children.
This program is both challenging, engaging, and offers an experience full of cross-cultural encounters.
This program is available all year round. Arrival on Sunday and departure on Saturday
Duration during the week | Budget total mission |
|---|---|
2 weeks | 940 € |
3 weeks | 1235 € |
4 weeks | 1580 € |
5 weeks | 1925 € |
6 weeks | 2270 € |
8 weeks | 2860 € |
10 weeks | 3450 € |
12 weeks | 4140 € |
A supplement of €200 applies to participants aged under 18. For more information, meet on the youth area.
The accommodation is located on a campus in a college dorm. As such, it follows certain campus rules such as a night curfew.
There are plenty of taxis around our campus. You can easily catch one from the main road to reach your desired destination in Ho Chi Minh City.
There are also several ATMs in the area where we are staying. The closest one is about a 3-minute walk from our campus.
There are nice local cafés, convenience stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, swimming pools, and restaurants next to our dorm. A beautiful and peaceful place where you can enjoy fresh juices, snacks, etc.
All necessary amenities can be found in the city-after all, we are located in the country’s capital!
Three good Asian style meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) are provided every day of the program, and on weekends only brunch and dinner. However, meals will also be served based on your dietary requirements, but you need to inform us in advance.
As the country’s largest city, bustling with energy, innovation, and constant movement, Ho Chi Minh City—formerly known as Saigon—is the economic heart of Vietnam and the main hub of the southern region. This cosmopolitan, free-spirited metropolis combines the old and new Vietnam within a compact urban space, embodying both the city’s past and future. Ho Chi Minh City is not only Vietnam’s primary economic center but also carries numerous cultural and historical imprints from its more than 300 years of developmental history.
On the other hand, the accommodation center is located at 23/8 Hoang Viet Ward 4, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. It takes you about ten (10) minutes (2.7 km) from the airport (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) and about fifteen (15-20) minutes from the city center.
Moreover, the center is surrounded by various facilities such as ATMs, restaurants, post office, swimming pool, gym, coffee shop and supermarkets. Therefore, you are free to relax and explore the city centers during your free time or after the program’s schedules or on the weekends and have the best times of your stay!
