Info on world challenge vietnam??? is it for me, is vietnam good destination. HELP?

Question

ok. well i am grade 9 student, which makes me 14, turning 15, and we had a speaker come to tell us about a world challenge organization which will be taking a group of us to vietnam in november 2009. has anyone done a world challenge program that could tell me what its like? or anyone thats been to vietnam? is it hot in november? are there many insects? how are the people? we do a week long trek, and a week long project helping out in an underprivilegded community, it seems really challenging, if anyones done it or something like it, id like to know how difficult they found it. any feedback would be much appreciated :D thanks

Answer 1

I don't know anything about "world challenge" but I have recently returned to the US after having spent the last 4 years in VN.

Depending on where you go, you may have a physically challenging experience, but you will probably survive.

In November it is starting to get cool - cooler in the mountains, but it can still be hot and humid in Ha Noi. It can get really, really cold, and depending on where you are, the rain can be miserable - just come prepared!

The people I have met in Viet Nam are great! That experience alone should make the trip well worth your while. I assume the "world challenge" organizers have done this before, otherwise the VN authorities wouldn't allow them to do it in 2009. Ask the organizers for names and numbers of some people that have done similar programs, and talk to them!

Viet Nam and the Vietnamese are great! Working in an ethnic minority village for a week would definitely open your eyes to the world! Don't be afraid of insects - that is what mosquito nets and insect repellent are for (I never suffered from insect problems and I worked in the mountains from the Chinese border in the north, down into the central provinces of Quang Binh and Ninh Thuan. I stayed in peoples' homes, I went to a lot of places, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world!)

Answer 2

This is the start of winter in Vietnam and can be quite cold in the highlands down to freezing. The coastal regions should be quite warm though. If you do a weeks trek the likelihood that you will come across a great variety of insects is very high, however don't let that put you off as it is a really beautiful country and you will have a great time.