Citizen Diplomacy Trips

Read the article written November 1, 1998 by John Douglas Marshall about the first Citizen Diplomacy trip to Vietnam  click here

Tree Planting * Community Service * Cultural Exploration * Friendship Building

PeaceTrees Vietnam's citizen diplomacy trips offer an an opportunity to experience Vietnam from a unique and rewarding perspective.  Our travelers make personal connections with our Vietnamese sponsors by working alongside them, sharing meals and literally getting down to earth together through our tree-planting work parties.

Our main goal is to bring American and Vietnamese people together to work and play as a means of promoting peace, friendship and renewal through mutual understanding and respect. Our travelers play a key role in this by serving as voluntary ambassadors of friendship and cooperation.

Dates
Our Citizen Diplomacy trip for the summer of 2010 is now closed.  The dates are June 26 to July 11, 2010.

For more information please download the trip brochure or contact our International Headquarters at info@peacetreesvietnam.org.

This fee includes:
     >airfare to Vietnam from Seattle
     > visa permission (you must have a current passport valid until at least 6 months past the return date)
     > airport taxes
     > all in-country transportation
     > lodging
     > most meals
     > cultural activities
     > tree-planting project costs
Tuition includes a non-refundable $300 administrative fee.

Our trips include several days at the beginning and end to explore Vietnam in its many facets - its scooter-filled cities, gracious old towns, beautiful beaches and sobering battlefields.  But the real heart of the trip takes place in Quang Tri Province, an area which endured some of the heaviest bombardment and deadliest conflicts of the Vietnam War.

The activities of Quang Tri are designed to provide as much personal and meaningful interaction as possible between our travelers and the Vietnamese people.  After 15 years of working in the province, PeaceTrees Vietnam has established many close relationships of trust and friendship with the people there.  These strong ties help to open doors and shed light on life as it's lived by the Vietnamese - a perspective largely unavailable to the average tourist.

Sample itinerary
Day 1: Depart Seattle
Day 2: Arrive Ho Chi Minh City
Day 3: Activities in Ho Chi Minh City
Day 4: Depart HCMC – arrive in Da Nang – overnight in Hoi An
Day 5: Travel to Dong Ha – visit Marble Mountain and Hoi An
Day 6: Tree planting or community service project in/around Dong Ha
Day 7: Tree planting or community service project in/around Dong Ha
Day 8: Tree planting or community service project in/around Dong Ha
Day 9: Area excursions: Vinh Moc tunnels, Cua Tung beach, Ben Hai river
Day 10: Area excursions: Khe Sanh, Truong Son Cemetery
Day 11: Depart for Hue ; free afternoon in Hue
Day 12: Free day in Hue
Day 13: Depart for Hanoi ; free time in Hanoi
Day 14: Free day in Hanoi
Day 15: Ha Long Bay excursion
Day 16: Depart Hanoi ; arrive Seattle