The last time I visited Vietnam was ten years ago in Saigon. I traveled to Vietnam to make a connection with my heritage. This is my second visit to Vietnam and I am here by using Vietnam visa on arrival service to implement my goal of becoming a Physical Therapist and to help as many people as possible. I came to the Institute of Acupuncture, also known as Bien Vien Cham Cuu, to gain hands-on experience and improve my knowledge of Vietnamese medical terminologies to better help my own Vietnamese community at home. The Institute of Acupuncture is located in the middle of Hanoi. The stark difference between this hospital and American hospitals was evident when I first stepped into the hospital. While the goals of both places are the same, the Institute of Acupuncture must do so without many of the equipment and instruments that the American counterparts have to work with. It is inspiring how the Vietnamese therapists here can still perform their tasks thoroughly and efficiently.

Everyone appreciates my assistance and is willing to teach me the techniques they use to help their patients. Every morning from eight to eleven, the patients go through acupuncture therapy. During this time, I observe the doctors and therapists in the pediatrics department poking needles into the children’s body parts. Numerous children had needles in their faces, backs, arms, and legs. Like all children, the very sight of needles elicited crying and screaming.

Afterwards, I observe the adult department and was shown pictures of patients before and after therapy. Most of the patients exhibited paralysis on a single side of their face or body. Many patients slowly recover after days or weeks of the treatment depending on the case. It is extremely gratifying to see patients gradually improve every day after therapy. I admire both the doctors’ and therapists’ dedication to treating their patients.

After eleven, everyone takes a three-hour break. They can choose to go to lunch or take a nap in their office. When I am invited to lunch by the therapists, I get the opportunity to see how the different families run their restaurants. Some have actual brick and mortar restaurants while others simply set up tables and chairs on the streets. However, I have found that the best food is found in the latter restaurants. The food has an authentic taste, rich with flavor, and is similar to home cooked meals. The restaurant may not have nice tables or chairs but the families are always kind and provide friendly services.

After the break, everyone heads back to work. Exercise and massage techniques are performed on the patients. This is the opportunity for me to learn new techniques. I shadow the therapists while they do their work and get to experience their skills first hand as their subject. They also allow me to perform the skills I learn on patients as well. In the two weeks I have been here, I learned many different treatments for the body.

This internship has already helped me prepare for graduate school and my future career as a Physical Therapist. Every day I leave work with both a sense of accomplishment and a desire to learn more the next day. The hands-on experience in this field is invaluable and being able to observe patients improving is as gratifying as it can get. I have also become a source of valuable information for translating Vietnamese terms to English and sharing my clinic experiences in America to the Vietnamese doctors and therapists. I have gained the confidence and courage to take the initiative to help others get back on their feet. Whether I am helping someone with chronic back problems or helping someone restore their full potential, one thing is certain: I want to make a different and this internship has helped me take the first step.

This summer, I decided not to spend my 3 weeks of holiday in a "conventional" way so I traded beaches, sun and mojitos for volunteering in Hanoi with "Get Vietnam Visa". Before telling you if it was worth the money to dedicate my spare time to volunteering instead of taking a rest and relaxing after working hard, I would like to briefly describe my experience as a volunteer in Vietnam.

Once in Hanoi, after settling in with the help of both Anh and the Projects Abroad local staff, I started work with another volunteer at a kindergarten for children with mental illnesses. Since I didn’t have any previous experience in the domain, I simply tried to help the teachers to manage the classroom. To expand, my tasks included playing with the children, giving them drawing and coloring exercises, helping them to remain focused during the lessons and helping the teachers set activities.

Since I do not speak any Vietnamese and my stay there was too short to learn even the basics of the language, I had some difficulties in communicating with the staff at the kindergarten. On the one hand, this meant that I didn’t have the chance to get to know some very special people who are working in the school, and this is probably the only thing I regret. However, on the other hand, the challenging situation made me realize that language is just one of the many ways to communicate, especially when it comes to children. One of the funniest moments of my short experience as a volunteer was when the teachers turned on the music and we danced with the children. It was amazing to see the children trying to follow your...