The best way to explore Vietnam’s beguiling capital Hanoi is with a local student, who can give you a unique insight into the local life, the culture and traditions, as well as the sights.
Hanoikids, established in 2006, is a student-run organization based in Hanoi, Vietnam. By voluntarily taking city tours in Hanoi, they hope to bring travellers from all over the world an insight into their culture, tradition, as well as great sight-seeings. Each member of the club seek to explore their full potential through cross-cultural experiences and extracurricular activities.
Core Activities
Hanoikids, over the course of more than 8 years, through many ups and downs, has lived up to its expectation to become one of the leading non-profit volunteer organizations in Vietnam. With a breezy spirit and unfading enthusiasm as those of the ambassadors of Hanoi, it has long been entrusted with the primary task of providing international friends with an intriguingly original insight into Hanoi from a holistic viewpoint, including culture, history and unique rituals, thanks to which the image of Hanoi has been effectively spread worldwide by the name of “a precious pearl at the heart of South-East Asia”.
In view of this widely known fact, it is often misconceived that touring is the only activity of Hanoikids. Hanoikids is, by the means of a simile, like a tree, with touring as only one of its branches. Just as the tree comprises of many branches, Hanoikids delivers far more than a single goal. In fact, we afford a broad range of culture-related activities for both members and non-members that, in order to function smoothly, necessitate an input of financial assistance. Here is the elaboration of some typical activities offered by us on an annual basis:
1. Tours
Tour operation was one of the most important activities of Hanoikids from the very first day. Tours are within a day, mainly inside Hanoi, to some of the city’s most famous attractions such as Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Old Quarter, Sword Lake, etc.
Acted as a travel-mate, their volunteers will help tourists discover the history, culture and beauty of Hanoi. To differentiate themselves from other tour operators, they want the Hanoikids experience to be shaped in the friendliest, most welcomed and natural way. By offering tourists the chance to meet and talk to native people and experience the local’s lifestyle, they hope to bring out the truest of Hanoi to foreign visitors.
2. Training
Given the objective of improving the quality of their service as well as extending the knowledge of members, Hanoikids places a strong focus on culture training and experience sharing among members.
Basic training: After becoming an official member of Hanoikids, each student will go through a two-month training course in popular attractions such as: Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Sword lake, Old Quarters, etc. This provides new member with the basic skill set of tour operation.
Advanced training: Every year, Hanoikids holds a major outdoorevent at many different cultural and historic spots, such as: Hanoi citadel, Bat Trang pottery village, Vietnam Military History Museum, etc.
Cultural competitions: Hanoikids organizes many types of competitions,such as: Culture discovery, Kid’s got talent for newbie, Pro-Travel Mate. The aim of these competitions is to exchange experiences among members, sharpen the skills and knowledge of participating students and stimulate social bonds.
3. Other activities
Besides, Hanoikids also organizes other activities to provide members a chance to enhance English and learn necessary communication skills. For example: Kidnei Project; learning English with Teach International of Australia, connecting with Friends of Vietnam Heritage Organization, participating in sightseeing tours, etc.
They also have a close relationship with many English clubs in Hanoi, such as FEMEC (Hanoi University of science and technology – HUST), EEC (National Economics University- NEU), EC (Foreign Trade University – FTU).
In 2011, Hanoikids set the first brick to be internationally connected by collaborating with two American universities: Washington University and Delaware University in a culture-exchange project, leader and teamwork workshop.
On October 31st 2010, Hanoikids had the chance to visit the Temple of Literature with the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Recently. They were honored to serve wife of Australian Minister of Defense Stephen Smith on August 29th 2012. Soon after, Hanoikids were excited to meet the United States Trade Representative, Mr. Ron Kirk on the Independence Day 2/9/2012.
In 2013, Hanoikids has been engaging in various touring activities with international privileged groups, i.e. British Vietnam International School faculty board, group of Thailand students of tourism, 70 high school students from Ignite Youths’ Idea Camp, and other organizations of students around the world.
In the beginning of 2014, Hanoikids had a tour with the biggest number of guests – 60 secondary students from Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore and expects to have more special tours with friends all over the world.
In Fall 2014, Hanoikids held “How I met my Hanoi” – a program for freshmen in Hanoi, which helped them to explore this city and made new friends before entering university life.
