For starters, having gone into this with the full expectation of entering a foreign country for the sole purpose of working, I am thoroughly surprised by the amount of affection and care given through each and every step in more aspects than just work. When people hear the term agency they expect a common, lackadaisical, professional agency that only assists you for queries and links you to your job, but otherwise expresses a rather hands-off approach when it comes to the external factors, such as the things to do on your free time or the places to visit, etc. Maybe I am alone in this thought but through my 5 months internship, ABROADER has given me the opposite of my expectations during the process. Anything wrong with the experience and they're there, anytime you have inquiries they're right at your doorstep, anytime you need a recommendation for a place to cut your hair you got it. They've given me more care, more concern and more assistance in this trip than I can ever ask for, and also an opportunity, not just in a work aspect but in other ways like the opportunity to make friends, an opportunity to explore Vietnam not for what it seems but for what it is, together. Sure, while it is like this it is still a professional establishment, but, what makes them unique and above the rest is that they remember to also keep it personal. It's been a privilege to experience Vietnam with ABROADER and I extend my gratitude. I think the only advice I can give to people coming on this trip is to have an open-mind and to enjoy the process because time passes way too fast if you don't take the time to enjoy the moment.

The local buddies were amazing!! Such a wonderful experience!! I would recommend to everyone, even if you don’t know anyone else. Was such a great time meeting new people and exploring a culture that was so welcoming. Due to the local buddies we got to experience the local side of Vietnam and all the places the average tourist won’t get to see. I also know my class mates at lot better. I have made connections with industry professionals that will stay with me after I graduate. Loved it!!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted to say a Warm Thanks to the ABROADER team for creating an amazing experience for Zach. Kasia and your team went above and beyond and should be so proud of bringing the amazing experience of living in Vietnam to my son. Your buddy program was amazing and we met his Buddy several times. He even came to the airport at 7 AM this past Saturday as Zach left Vietnam. Zach learned so much about Vietnam this summer - about its amazing culture, food, how people live and of course Grab, and the crazy life of the traffic. This family has fallen in love with Vietnam.

All in all, to say I learn a lot is an understatement. I’ve gained precious insights and experience into the development process by getting the opportunity to work with an industry-leading company. I’ve improved my technical skills in JavaScript and updated my skills to the latest technologies. For future interns working for here, I advise that you come with open arms and the willingness to learn. You should be open to making new friends and learning new things, and I assure you that you will have a great time here just like I had. If I could redo my experience, I would’ve taken the opportunity to make friends outside of my circle. To socialize with more people here in Vietnam. I would also love to immerse myself more in the Vietnamese culture and explore Vietnam more, experiencing new food and places.

It was extremely helpful to have ABROADER when I arrived to Vietnam. I didn’t have to worry about how to get from the airport to the house or how to get a local sim card. Also ABROADER staff (Tung and Ngan) were periodically checking on me to make sure everything was ok. Mo and Claire were kind enough to arrange a city tour when I visited Saigon. However, the most important thing was that ABROADER Vietnam introduced me to Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation.

Prior to arriving in Vietnam, I had never had a so-called “life-changing” experience. There is no guidebook on how to achieve one, nor was I able to grasp such a concept, moments so strong as to change the path for your life. That is until I went to Vietnam. There is so much more than meets the eye in the beautiful country of Vietnam. A tourist or temporary visitor may only be granted with picturesque views of rice fields and the women in their hats, the mountains of the north, or a steaming bowl of Pho placed on their plastic red table. And while these experiences are all incredible in their own right, there is so much more to discover, whether it be the story of the people under the hats, the sellers on the streets, or the history of the land that you have the opportunity to travel. ABROADER Vietnam granted me the opportunity to uncover such stories, and an internship with memories that has left me longing to go back since the moment I returned home. Vietnam has become my second home. Granted, I had gotten the opportunity to travel and become accustomed to Vietnam for about four months prior to starting the internship. My University had allowed me to study abroad during which time I adjusted to the food and language, learning about almost every aspect of Vietnam culture. But this was only a preview of what was to come. My time with the internship let me interact with the people, practice my Vietnamese, take trips with my coworkers, and uncover passions for things I didn’t know existed. I have too many incredible stories to be able to write them all throughout this review, and so I’ll pick a few of the mostly little interactions that really meant the most. ABROADER Vietnam set me up in a homestay, perhaps one of the highlights of my journey, and I can say with complete honesty that I felt like part of the family. There was a cook by the name of “Vui”, meaning happy in Vietnamese, and how appropriate as she radiated happiness onto me throughout my entire stay. She did not speak any English, but somehow I was able to coordinate trips to the market, request my favorite food for dinners, and convey to her how much I loved her country. She bought me 21 roses on my 21st birthday, only proving her kindness. The mother of the household, unlike Vui, spoke some English. She often taught me Vietnamese when I had free time, as well as took me to the market, and made me feel extremely welcome when I felt the slightest bit homesick. But as for the internship itself, I was placed in two hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, one directly in the center, and one located more on the outskirts. I’m not going to lie and say that there were no challenges. Originally people were confused to why I was there, I got lost several times, and some days I had no one to teach me, but those were a minuscule few days as most, out of a ten week internship. I made friends with the doctors who taught me about topics from infectious diseases in Vietnam, to the catheder lab, and even more in the surgical urology department.. We frequently went out to eat, where we exchanged stories, and I answered curious questions about my time in Vietnam thus far. Other friends I made were medical students, originally too shy to approach me, but through my time in the hospital gathered up the courage to speak to me. I served to help them practice their English and was happy about it as I know how many opportunities it can open up for them. They invited me for bubble tea, food, and even once to a Vietnamese fruit farm, two hours by train. I was gifted the opportunity to dress up in the MOST attractive brown cloth attire, and proceed to pick and eat as much fruit as humanly possible on perhaps one of the most humid days. While I felt almost at home, eating to my hearts desire, I most certainly looked out of place with the brown pants acting more like a short capri on my long legs. It was days like this that I got to thinking of how grateful I was for the opportunity to stay in Vietnam for a little bit longer. I learned lots about my friends, and one of my favorite aspects of their culture is how open they are to strangers; how they just immediately let them in to their personal lives, and are completely honest. It is something that I miss the most. And lastly, as I don’t want to write a novel here, I have to talk about my experiences with the nurses at the second hospital that I worked in. The first week as usual was slightly stressful with not much sense of direction, but I quickly made friends, and their generosity was incredible. My days consisted of learning from doctors for a few hours, walking from room to room, checking patients vitals, or just practicing Vietnamese. But as soon as I took a break in the nurses “lounge”, I was bombarded with different Vietnamese foods coming my way. Each nurse wanted to share with me a piece of their dish, and talk to me as much as they could. Each morning from there on I would be asked in Vietnamese “Ali an sang chua?”, a phrase meaning “have you eaten breakfast yet?” Per usual I had not, and my answer encouraged them to start making me a coffee, and once again piling different foods in my bowls and encouraging me to eat mysterious shaped foods. My response that the food was delicious, or “ngon”, only encouraged them more. This routine continued until the end of my internship. The goodbyes were not easy, and there were many I had to make. Each attempted goodbye always ended with another attempt by them to try and meet up once more, at which I sullenly had to refuse. There are only a few things I will say to end this review that went much too long. These moments that I experienced were granted to me due to my opportunity to take up an internship with ABROADER, who set me up in the select hospitals, with my host family, and opened the doors for me to make connections. And of course when you take on an internship you have to do your part. You must be open, able to laugh when things don’t go your way, and not let any roadblock deter you. Looking back I know that I have changed. While I couldn’t see it in the moment, the internship boosted my confidence and improved my relationship with failure. It also made my more open with myself and those that I met. I wished my internship could go longer, and perhaps I will find a job in Vietnam one day, so for now all I can do is reminisce through reviews about the most life-changing time I had with my internship and with ABROADER.

The whole experience of doing internship in Vietnam, living and meeting the people in this beautiful country will be a memory I’ll always remember. My host organization was ABROADER Vietnam. For the most part, I was clear about the responsibilities & rules expected to accomplish & follow during my filming and photography internship at the company. My supervisor and the program coordinator cared a lot about me, even when they didn’t pay attention to me, the only downfall was my skills on graphic design which I still need to improve to support my work in the company. My work was crucial at a marketing and branding level, which is the image of the company itself. If there is anything I wish to do that would make the internship in Vietnam perfect was that I could stay in Halong Bay one more day.

I was happy with everything else including in-country logistics and visa support, orientation and city tour and I would definitely recommend this internship in Vietnam to my friends or students who are interested. Though most of my work was limited to observation depending on what department I was placed in, I was able to contribute to the nursing staff by other means (i.e. sorting through medicine to be used for the next day). However, in the ICU, I got to perform all nursing tasks except for mixing drugs as only head nurses could do that task. In addition, I found it really helpful that I had many supervisors at work and they all cared that I learned from this experience. Regarding my experience with ABROADER Vietnam service, what I appreciated the most was probably the local buddy they paired me with here.

ABROADER, you have made my experience in Vietnam an incredible one!! For me, having a local buddy as a support system during my Social Work internship in Vietnam has been the most helpful. My work at CSAGA helped me understand social services from a Eastern Asian perspective, helped me acclimate to Vietnamese lifestyle, and understand the process that non-profits go through to obtain funding. ABROADER is always so supportive and has made me feel at home. Thank you so much and I encourage you all to keep changing lives and doing what you do.

No words can represent how much experience I have gained throughout my internship in Vietnam. Working at my host company as a research assistant, I have gained many technical and soft skills, such as participating in lab undergraduate training courses, doing lab testing services and also learning the culture of Vietnam with the Vietnamese people. After this internship, I realized that I could adapt myself to a different and foreign environment. This enables me to be able to work with a more diverse environment, even with colleagues with different background and knowledge. This pushes me as an employee to learn and work even harder to cope and manage with different people and adapt accordingly to the needs of the company. All in all, I feel that it was a breathtaking experience for me to have this opportunity to immerse myself with the Vietnam culture with the Vietnamese people, and I am really thankful to have taken up this internship experience with ABROADER for letting me experience such a new life. The funniest moment I had during my internship experience was that I had to CHASE down a bus when I was on the way to work. It was a really funny one as I have this mindset that the buses in Vietnam would wait for you to board before it starts to drive again. However, the bus did not even stop moving and kept on driving, and left me behind the bus stop. Since that day onwards, I ensure myself not to miss the bus by chasing the bus down before the driver closes its door on me. Thank you ABROADER for this memorable experience!