HANOI, U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam -- As part of her first official tour, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn today swore-in the inaugural group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Viet Nam during a ceremony in Ha Noi. Government of Viet Nam representatives, including Phạm Quang Hưng Director General of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training and Nguyễn Tiến Dũng, Deputy Director General of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training; U.S. Government representatives, including Melissa A. Bishop Chargé d’Affaires of U.S. Embassy Hanoi; and administrators and teachers from the schools where the volunteers will co-teach participated in the historic ceremony.

“As we approach the New Year, this swearing-in offers us the opportunity to take a moment from our busy lives to appreciate and recognize the power of human connection,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “As the 143rd partner country of the Peace Corps, Viet Nam is a welcome addition to our global community, and I look forward to seeing how volunteers and teachers work together to inspire the next generation.”

Peace Corps’ English education program in Viet Nam, officially established with the signing of an implementing agreement in July 2020, is a collaborative partnership between Peace Corps and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training. Since arriving in Viet Nam in October, the nine English education volunteers successfully completed a comprehensive cross-cultural, language, and technical training program which prepared them to understand and follow the policies and practices of the Vietnamese education system and to co-teach alongside Vietnamese teachers for two years.

Following today’s swearing-in ceremony, the volunteers will begin their work in secondary schools of Ha Noi districts with Vietnamese counterparts and students. They will join the nearly 900 other Peace Corps volunteers who are currently serving in 45 countries across Africa, Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia, and the Inter-Americas and the Pacific in support of government and community priorities.

For photos of the event: https://peacecorps.zenfolio.com/p580071447

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About the Peace Corps:
The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members on locally-prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth in development. Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be and inspire the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 143 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact:
Troy Blackwell

Director of Press Relations and Spokesperson, Peace Corps

tblackwell@peacecorps.gov