5-week nursing internship in Vietnam

Alicia spent 5 weeks in Vietnam on a nursing internship as part of her university course.

All in all, for the whole group , we met some very welcoming villagers, who were as curious to learn as we were. There was a lot of sharing, in both directions. I discovered their own values, and appreciated their adaptability to us, just as we tried to do. It was an experience rich in humanity!

Good memories abound! But some of them remain engraved in our memories... For example, the invitation from a Vietnamese family on the first day in the village, to offer us a drink even though they didn't even speak English.

Visits to schoolchildren, and even to villagers on the course, also left us with some excellent memories.

If I had to rate my experience...

- Pre-departure information: 2/5 Some things came as a surprise on the spot, but overall the team was present throughout, sending emails to provide updates, etc.

- Registration process: 4/5 fairly straightforward

- Supervision: 3/5 by e-mail, very present, on site, we would have preferred to have one guide per group rather than 2 for the 3 different groups. Because it was a project by group, and this meant that we were with another group of 4 and therefore numerous for the few patients that there sometimes were. What's more, the village was 3-4 hours from Hanoi, and we didn't have a free round-trip bus every weekend. The guides were very present and kind :)

For the bus, the internship in Vietnam takes place in mountain villages, and as it's an isolated place, the NGO plans a weekend in Hanoi when the students arrive. Local organizations are not responsible for free time and shuttles for excursions and weekends.

- Food and accommodation: 4/5 with very welcoming families, very clean houses, plenty of food and adaptability. However, a big downside was that the water we had on site was not bottled water, but tap water.

We regularly hear comments about the water being undrinkable in Asia, but it's important to remember that it's part of the local culture to pay for bottled water.

We recommend the nursing internship in Vietnam to other students, as it's a unique experience that lets you rediscover yourself in different situations, far from your loved ones and everything you know. It's a way of growing up to go there, to see how people make do with the minimum to live and how happy they are... That it's not enough to have everything that society imposes on us to be happy. We see life more calmly and with hindsight after this experience.

We recommend RealStep for an internship abroad. The association is always present and considerate.