Da Nang is considered to be one of the best places in Viet Nam for young foreigners who want to seek volunteering opportunities, thanks to its beauty and friendly people, as well as its delicious and inexpensive food. 

Mark Witt is a typical example.  Coming from the seaside city of Coolum in Australia’s Queensland State, he made his first visit to Viet Nam 3 years ago.  Despite having travelled through many provinces and cities across the country, the young Australian man chooses to come to Da Nang for 6 months every year to engage in voluntary activities.

Mark Witt playing with disabled children at the Social Support Centre

He is currently taking care of disabled children who live in the city’s Social Support Centre and he is helping them to improve their physical health. 

He said one of the main reasons for his staying in Da Nang is that he can easily travel to Hoi An, fly to Cambodia’s Siem Reap, or even visit India to help local poor disabled children.

In addition, he often spends his free time teaching English in order to earn some money to cover his daily expenditure, as well as doing his charitable activities.

Over the past 3 years, the Australian volunteer has made friends with about 60 Vietnamese young people.  He is willing to share his rented house, which is located in the city’s Bac Dau Street, with many volunteers from his country and other countries worldwide.

23-year old Stephanie McGuiness from Australia is another example.  She has been deeply impressed with the beauty of Da Nang’s beaches.  She has been living in Da Nang since 2006 and is working at the local beaches, utilising her 16 years of experience as a volunteer lifeguard.

Apart from being a surfing coach at the local beaches, she often spends her time raising the awareness of local young people and university students about the significant role of beaches.  In addition, she actively gets involved in collecting rubbish and cleaning up some of the beaches such as My Khe and the Eastern Park.

The useful activities of these two young foreign volunteers are encouraging many other friends worldwide to seek volunteering opportunities in the city. 

At present, an American female student who has just graduated from a medical university has registered to participate in volunteer activites in Da Nang for 2 months.  Previously, she was engaged in charitable activities in Viet Nam for 4 years.