In November last year, a group of St Stephen’s School students travelled to Vietnam, continuing the school’s meaningful partnership with Hearts for Hue. The tour is built around service, cultural exchange and learning, giving students the opportunity to contribute directly to projects supported by Hearts for Hue, a local NGO established in 2006.
Working alongside Hearts for Hue, students helped fund and build practical infrastructure for disadvantaged families. Through their own efforts, the group raised more than $14,000, built a playground and painted a mural at Gap ding Kindergarten, funded the construction of a toilet and kitchen facility for a family in need and paid for the construction of another playground at Binh Thanh Kindergarten.
You can explore more about the impact of this partnership through updates shared by Hearts for Hue, including a December update on the kitchen facility funded by our students HERE and a video highlighting the collaboration between Hearts for Hue and St Stephen’s School featuring our staff and students HERE.
In addition to service, the tour also gave students the chance to experience Vietnam’s rich history and culture. Highlights included visiting the historic Cu Chi Tunnels, a Mekong River Delta boat cruise, attending a Vietnamese cooking class, shopping at Ben Thanh Market and taking to the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. These experiences helped students deepen their understanding of the country and the communities they were working alongside.
The Vietnam Service Learning Tour reflects the spirit of service learning at St Stephen’s School, transforming student initiative and compassion into meaningful, lasting impact for communities beyond our own.
We look forward to seeing what our next Vietnam Service Learning Tour brings.