U.S. Embassy & Consulate
in Vietnam

HANOI, October 24, 2023 – The second cohort of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers have arrived in Hanoi to further support the Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) national priorities for English Language Education and demonstrate our bilateral commitment to education and training cooperation under the U.S. – Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The U.S. Peace Corps volunteers will be the first group to serve at high schools throughout Ho Chi Minh City starting in January 2024. Volunteers will work alongside local teacher to co-teach English classes to help Vietnamese students develop their English skills to access studying and employment opportunities. Peace Corps Vietnam fully aligns with MOET’s objectives and is enabled by the Implementing Agreement signed in 2020 between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments with Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) as Implementing Entities.

“The geographic expansion of the program to Ho Chi Minh City aligns with the international agreement enacted by the two countries and heralds continued good will as Peace Corps builds relationships and trust with our partners.”, said Mikel Herrington, Peace Corps Vietnam Country Director. “During and after their service, the volunteers will share their appreciation for the Vietnamese people with friends and family at home. Peace Corps Volunteers are contributing to the people-to-people relationships and the long-term prosperity goals highlighted in the recently announced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two nations.”

For the next 10 weeks, the volunteers will participate in extensive training to strengthen the knowledge and skills necessary to adapt to the local context and work effectively in Vietnam’s educational system.  They will attend Vietnamese language classes, sessions on Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), gain familiarity with the school context, and practice co-teaching models with local teachers. Only volunteers who successfully complete the training program will be sworn-in on December 28 and officially start their service afterwards.

The arrival of this new cohort of volunteers comes following a joint congratulations by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden Jr. on the launch of Peace Corps in Vietnam, as outlined in the Joint Statement on Elevating United States-Vietnam Relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Peace Corps Vietnam and its volunteers continue to promote bilateral relations and strengthen the connections between people from our two countries.

Currently, Peace Corps has nine volunteers serving in Hanoi.

About Peace Corps

Peace Corps is an independent agency under the Executive Branch of the U.S. government which operates a volunteer program 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.  Vietnam is the 143rd country to invite and partner with the Peace Corps.

The Mission of Peace Corps is to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:

• To partner with the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained individuals;
• To promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served;
• To promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.