How to make a difference?
Looking for an experience you’ll never forget? Would you like to make a difference to
someone else’s life? Leave a legacy? Then join us in Southern Vietnam in the September
Holidays. This exciting immersion gives students in Senior School the opportunity to spend
14 days working on a home building site, assisting at schools and have fun exploring Saigon
and the Mekong Delta.
We work with our partners, the Government of Vietnam, local NGO’s and Red Cross to
re‐house families in need into new homes.
No construction skills are required, it is manual labour. All homes are built under local
professional supervision. There is no homestay in this program, students and staff will stay
in safe, supervised, twin/family share hotel style accommodation with own facilities. It will
be a challenging experience requiring cultural sensitivity.
Saigon
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high-octane city of commerce and culture that has driven the
country forward with its pulsating energy. A chaotic whirl, the city breathes life and vitality into all who settle here, and visitors
cannot help but be hauled along for the ride.
From the finest of hotels to the cheapest of guesthouses, the classiest of restaurants to the tastiest of street stalls, the choicest
of boutiques to the scrum of the markets, HCMC is a city of energy and discovery. Wander through timeless alleys to incense-
infused temples before negotiating chic designer malls beneath sleek 21st-century skyscrapers. The ghosts of the past live on in
buildings that one generation ago witnessed a city in turmoil, but now the real beauty of the former Saigon’s urban collage is
the seamless blending of these two worlds into one exciting mass.
My Tho
Gateway to the Mekong Delta, My Tho is the capital of Tien Giang province and an important market town. My Tho's proximity
to HCMC means it's a popular destination for a taste of river life – a flotilla of boats tour the local islands and their cottage
industries daily, though many bypass the town itself. The riverfront makes for a pleasant stroll and the town, including the lively
market, is easily explored on foot.
My Tho was founded in the 1680s by Chinese refugees fleeing Taiwan after the fall of the Southern Ming dynasty. The economy
is based on tourism, fishing and the cultivation of rice, coconuts, bananas, mangoes, longans and citrus fruit.
Nhan Ai School
The Nhan Ai Disability School is a school for Deaf Students run by the Sisters of St Paul de Chartres. St Laurence’s College
has been visiting the School for seven years and have developed friendships with the students and teachers alike. On this visit
we will again be assisting in the classrooms, playing games with the children and learning basic Sign Language. Brush up your
soccer skills these students are masters of the game!
Itinerary (draft)
DAY ACTIVITY
Friday 18/9 6.30 am Meet Brisbane International Airport
MH134/766 - Arrive Saigon 6.45pm
Saturday 19/9 Breakfast at Hotel
River Cruise and visit Vietnam Village & Lunch
Ben Tanh Markets
Great Race late afternoon running into Dinner (Student Expense)
Sunday 20/9 Breakfast at Hotel
9.30am Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral
Tour of Saigon City (Walking Street, Opera House & Post Office)
Lunch at local restaurant
Tour of Independence Palace & War Remnant Museum
Dinner – Cruise on the River
Monday 21/9 Breakfast in Hotel - Check out
AM - Tour of Cu Chi Tunnels
Lunch in transit, Travel to My Tho City
Briefing for Projects & Dinner at local restaurant
DAY AM PM
Tuesday 22/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
My Tho walking tour – Cao Dai Temple
& Tien Giang Museum
Wednesday 23/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
Nhan Ai School & Karaoke
Dinner at Summer Café
Thursday 24/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
Binh Duc Secondary School
Dinner at local restaurant
Friday 25/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
Visit to Past Projects
Lotteria (Student expense)
Saturday 26/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
Free Afternoon
Dinner at local restaurant
DAY ACTIVITY
Sunday 27/9 Breakfast at Hotel
Cai Be floating market/Sampan ride/Coconut factory/Rice noodles/Popped
rice/Kimmy Chocolatier
Dinner at local restaurant.
Itinerary (draft)
DAY AM PM
Monday 28/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
Nhan Ai School
Dinner at Local Restaurant
Tuesday 29/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
Vinh Trang Pagoda & Snake Farm
Dinner – Summer Café
Wednesday 30/9 Breakfast at hotel
Building
4pm Farewell at Building Site
Thursday 1/10 Breakfast in hotel
Travel to Saigon - Shopping
Lunch and fly home
4.40pm MH 759/135
Friday 2/10 Arrive Brisbane International Airport 8.20am
What to do before trip - Checklist
Arrange passport – your passport must have 6 months’ validity left from date of arrival
back in Australia. (Must be valid until 4 April 2021)
Obtain a visa through the Vietnam Embassy – more information given out later
Attend the information afternoon and blessing – 26 August and 9 September in
McElligott Theatre/Chapel of St Laurence O’Toole 4.30pm, compulsory attendance for
both students and parents.
Immersion Costs
*3500 per student
Cost Inclusions
Cost Exclusions
✓ Return economy airfares including all fees,
taxes and surcharges
✓ Private coach transfers with experienced
driver
✓ Taxi’s when required
✓ 13 nights’ accommodation – twin share
✓ 13 breakfasts, 13Lunches and 10 dinners
✓ Travel insurance
✓ 2 Tour shirts and Tour bag
× Personal shopping
× Items not specified in the itinerary or “cost
inclusions”
× Visa
× Snacks and items ordered from room
service
*discount available for return students with SLC Tour bags and Vietnam Tour Shirts.
Payment Schedule
Payment Schedule Due Date Payment Amount
1st Deposit 14th February 2020 $700
2nd Deposit 1th May 2020 $1400
Final Payment 31st July 2020 $1400
NB: All payments are non-refundable. Students must be made aware that if they pull out after
paying the deposit, a refund will only be available if your position is filled by another student.
A payment plan extending payment to the end of 2020 is available, please contact Heather
Batchelor for more information on [email protected] or phone 30101105
Tour Officials Heather Batchelor (Tour Coordinator)
Mark Whiting
What to pack
Casual Clothing
• 6 Shorts
• 6-8 Shirts/T-shirts (no offensive logo’s)
• 1 dress shirt for dinner cruise
• Long pants & Jumper for plane
• Underwear, socks and PJ’s
• Swimming Togs and Beach Towel
• Light Waterproof Jacket
• Lauries Co-Curricular Sport Shirt (Yellow)
• Closed in shoes
• Hat/Cap
Work Clothes (all to be thrown away before returning)
• 3 Work shorts
• 3 Work shirts
• Old pair of sandshoes/joggers
• Work Gloves
Extras
• Lauries Backpack
• Toiletries, Sunscreen, Insect Repellent
• Universal adaptor (electronics)
Important Information
Closed in shoes are to be worn at any time we are walking in the streets; this is whether we
are sightseeing or on the work site. Work clothes will be washed regularly.
*Please ensure items are clearly labelled with permanent marker