The second group of Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Hanoi to further support the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training’s national priority of English language instruction and demonstrate bilateral commitment to education and training cooperation within the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Peace Corps Group 2 volunteers will be the first group to reside and work in high schools in districts in Ho Chi Minh City starting in January 2024. Volunteers will be assigned to co-teach with English teachers to support Vietnamese students to improve their English skills to access more study and employment opportunities.

The Peace Corps program aligns with the goals of the Ministry of Education and Training; supported by an Implementing Agreement signed in 2020 between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments with the Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education and Training as implementing agencies.

According to Mr. Mikel Herrington, Peace Corps Country Director in Vietnam, the expansion of the Program's geographical scope to Ho Chi Minh City is consistent with the content of the Implementation Agreement between the two countries and demonstrates the Peace Corps' desire to continue building cooperative and trusting relationships with partners.

During and after their deployment, Peace Corps volunteers will share their experiences with the Vietnamese people with their friends and family. Peace Corps volunteers’ activities contribute to the people-to-people ties between our two countries and the long-term prosperity that is emphasized in the recent Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries.

Over the next 10 weeks, volunteers will undergo comprehensive training to develop the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to the local context and to teach in accordance with the Vietnamese education system. Volunteers will learn Vietnamese, participate in a training program on teaching English as a Second Language, practice teaching in schools to familiarize themselves with the teaching environment, and practice co-teaching with local teachers. Only volunteers who complete this initial training will participate in the oath-taking ceremony on December 28 and officially begin their work thereafter.

On December 30, 2022, wearing traditional Vietnamese ao dai, the first nine American Peace Corps volunteers took the oath of office to begin their two-year English teaching assignment in Vietnam. These volunteers will teach English alongside teachers at nine high schools in Hanoi, under a program sponsored by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. They were selected based on a number of criteria, including attitude, openness, adaptability to change, and eagerness to learn./.

Kieu Giang