Rotarians Invited to Tour Viet Nam

HUMANITURS
Destination  Viet Nam

A Project in Partnership With the Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association, Kids Without Borders, and the Rotary Club of the University District Seattle

A once a lifetime opportunity to go on a vacation, and at the same time make small differences in many people’s lives. The HumaniTour will offer unique time to experience the glorious sense of peace, the magnificence of a culture, the simplicity and natural flow of daily life, and the irresistible cuisine of Viet Nam. It will also bring you the opportunity to witness humanitarian projects throughout the country by many international service organizations and agencies including Rotary International, the Greater Seattle Viet Nam Association (GSVA), and Kids Without Borders (KWB). Started in 2001, the HumaniTours is an unique concept combining tourism and humanitarianism.

TOURISM

Walk through the outdoor market where ginger and lemongrass fill the air ... among street vendors hawking snacks ... sail a dragon boat on the Perfume River ... wave at women in conical hats on the golden rice paddy or a child on the back of a water buffalo ... cruise among the 3,000 islets of Ha Long Bay, one of the World’s Wonders ... ride on a cyclo (rickshaw) through Hanoi’s charming Old Quarter or the bustling streets of Saigon ...

Some of our main stops: Hanoi, once known as the “Paris of the East”; the wonders of Ha Long Bay, the World Heritage Site famous for its natural beauty, its bio-diversity, and its cultural and historic significance; the ancient city of Hue, also a World Heritage Site; Saigon (officially named as Ho Chi Minh City), a vibrant metropolis teeming with life.

HUMANITARIANISM

You will have several opportunities to participate in delivery donations of gifts or goods to people along our stops. Some of the stops:

• Thanh Xuan Peace Village in Hanoi: home of hundreds of disabled children, victimized by ‘Agent Orange’ left from the war in Hanoi, where street children receive vocational training. Program is funded by UNICEF in partnership with many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and foreign-owned private corporations.
   
• Visit the ‘Helmets for Kids’ program in Hanoi by U.S-based Asia Injury Prevention Foundation.
   
• Hoa Phuong Orphanage located in Hai Phong, Seattle’s Sister City.
   
• Visit Landmine programs operated by several Seattle-based NGOs in Quang Tri Province.
   
• Participate in the ‘Teaching English Program’ for orphans, funded by the Rotary Club of the University District Seattle, GSVA, and other organizations and individuals.
   
• Visit with the children in the Go Vap Orphanage in Saigon, and take a small group on a field trip.
   
• Participate in delivering new wheelchairs to disabled people and children in various cities. Wheelchairs are funded by Rotary International, the Wheelchair Foundation, and VNHelp of California.

ITINERARY SUMMARY

• Depart Seattle on November 3, 2003. Arrive in Hanoi on November 4, 2003.
   
• Overnight in Hanoi. Travel by ground to Hai Phong, overnight in Ha Long City. Tour Ha Long Bay by boat and overnight on Cat Ba Island. Fly from Hanoi to Hue, overnight in Hue. Boat trip on the Perfume River, visit temples and pagodas. Tour by ground to Dong Ha, Khe Sanh, the DMZ. Fly to Saigon, overnight in Saigon. Optional tour by ground to Tay Ninh, the Cu Chi Tunnel, Cao Dai Temple.
   
• Depart Saigon on November 16, 2003 and arrive in Seattle on them same day.

Limited to 20 persons. Reservation deadline: September 14, 2003.

For more information, please contact: Son Michael Pham (425) 836-5354 / (206) 484-4830 or email smp@usasiagateway.com.