Beyond the Ordinary: Vietnam's Alternative Education & Sustainable Futures

The program

A journey through Central Vietnam, designed to explore the region's culture and its communities' own approaches to education and sustainable development. The program goes beyond traditional tourism: an immersive experience of Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Huế, and an introduction to social enterprises and community-driven initiatives that can inspire.

Inspired by Vietnam's extraordinary diversity and its emerging alternative movements, the program focuses on places working in alternative education and in the care of children and adolescents. Participants see how local communities are pioneering regenerative practices, fostering resilience and shaping a future centered on well-being.

They meet a holistic education and social therapy community in Huế, experience community-engaged learning in Hội An, and explore alternative education projects in Đà Nẵng. Through cultural exchanges, a visit to the Imperial Citadel, and conversations with local artisans and community leaders, they gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam's gift culture and its commitment to preserving its cultural and ecological heritage.

The program highlights traditional practices and community-engaged learning tourism, and shows how Vietnam is creating an alternative future rooted in its cultural heritage and collective spirit.

Objectives

• Learning about innovative educational institutions and practices, particularly in alternative education, child and adolescent care.
• Exploring social enterprises and community-led initiatives in Central Vietnam that tackle social, economic, and environmental issues through creative and effective approaches.

Day by day

Day 3Beyond classrooms: community learning for regeneration and well-being

Morning

• 07:00–09:00 Breakfast and check-out
• 09:30–11:30 A conversation with a scientist about a school-and-community model: a "university without classrooms" that takes students out of traditional learning environments to learn directly within local communities. He pioneered community-engaged learning tourism, which builds community capacity and conserves and regenerates nature.
• 12:00–13:00 Lunch: Vietnamese rolls in Đà Nẵng

Afternoon

• 13:00–14:00 Travel to Hội An
• 14:00–17:00 River-versity: life, people and livelihoods in Cẩm Kim
  • A boat trip along the Thu Bồn river, with stories of the river and of the Cù Lao Chàm Biosphere Reserve from local researchers and residents
  • Traditional craftsmanship at Kim Bồng wood village
• 17:00–18:00 Dinner with the cooperative in Cẩm Kim

Evening

• 18:00–18:30 Check in at an eco-tourism garden village on the Thu Bồn river
• 18:30–21:00 Free time in Hội An

Day 4Transforming lives through alternative education

Morning

• 07:00–09:00 Breakfast and check-out
• 09:00–11:30 A visit to a homeschool
• 11:30–13:00 Lunch at the homeschool

Afternoon

• 13:00–14:00 Travel back to Đà Nẵng
• 14:00–16:00 The Soil Project, Vcil Community's alternative education project: conversations with its participants
• 16:00–17:00 Coffee, and a reflection on the journey

Evening

• 17:00–20:30 Free time in Đà Nẵng
• 21:00 To the airport for the flight home

Where the group stays

A hotel in Đà Nẵng designed as a living picture of a traditional coastal fishing village, with a warm swimming pool shaped like a natural stream between limestone rocks, and boat-shaped bathtubs in the rooms.

An eco-tourism garden village about 15 km from Hội An, on the Thu Bồn river. It was started by an architect in 2009 to save the village from landslides and disappearance: "following the flow of water", a three-layer system of grasses (ruoi grass, elephant grass and vetiver) holds the riverbank. It keeps the simple beauty of the Vietnamese countryside and shows the harmony between people and nature.

Hosts and places

A vocational training center and living community for young adults with disabilities in Huế, founded in 2009 by an international foundation. It practices social therapy and biodynamic gardening, and its workshops give each member a trade, autonomy and an income.

Young local guides in Huế who practice "slow tourism": instead of skimming through the sights, visitors learn the origins, stories and events behind each place.

A farming and ecotourism cooperative in Cẩm Kim, Hội An, built on asset-based community development: villagers share their own skills and resources with visitors through hands-on farming, traditional crafts and eco-friendly tours. The cooperative encourages local people to share their traditions and stories, and promotes sustainable farming that helps conserve the local ecosystem.

The Soil Project, Vcil Community's international alternative education and gap-year program for young people. It is self-directed and semi-structured: a love-based community in which learners support each other and choose their own content, internships, travel, research and social entrepreneurship.

A scientist who, after studying in Vietnam and doing research in the United States and the Netherlands, devoted himself from 2003 to protecting the marine ecosystem of Cù Lao Chàm. He was the first to start community-engaged learning tourism there, teaching local people waste sorting, responsible fishing and biodiversity conservation, and has since supported community tourism and conservation across Central Vietnam.