Our Mission
The Veterans Viêt Nam Restoration Project (VVRP) is a small 501(c) (3) non-governmental organization (NGO). Our mission is to send teams of veterans to Viêt Nam to reconcile with the Vietnamese and to heal the emotional and spiritual wounds suffered in the war. Team members work alongside the Vietnamese in undertaking humanitarian projects such as the construction of clinics, houses for disabled veterans, vocational training centers, and kindergarten classrooms.
The VVRP was founded in 1988 by Fredy Champagne, a Viêt Nam veteran, and other veterans in Garberville, California. The first VVRP team visited Viêt Nam in January, 1989. Its 15 members spent two months working with the Vietnamese in building a health clinic. Since that time the VVRP has sent 23 teams to Viêt Nam, as of July 2008. More than 150 veterans have experienced the unique experience of returning to Viêt Nam as a member of a VVRP team.
The VVRP relies entirely on the generosity of its donors to cover its expenses. Their gifts cover the costs of our projects and our administrative overhead. We have no paid staff and a bookkeeper with whom we contract. Board members and friends take care of such matters as recruitment, team formation and orientation, and fundraising. Team members cover their own expenses. The Vietnamese also help fund projects.
VVRP Teams
We send one team or two teams to Viêt Nam each year with the first team usually departing in late March or early April. The teams are made up primarily of vets, but often include non-vets, many of whom are women who accompany a husband or friend on their return. Teams presently are comprised of 10 to 12 members. Team members spend about two and half weeks working at a project site and traveling with the team. They are then free to tour Viêt Nam or neighboring countries. Most team members spend an additional ten days in country. Just prior to departure for Viêt Nam the VVRP conducts a three-day orientation and team building workshop in Sebastopol, California, which is mandatory for all team members.
The cost of traveling to Viêt Nam with a VVRP team is going up. This is the result of the convergence of three factors: the increasing price of oil; inflation in Viêt Nam; and the declining value of the dollar. Last year we projected a cost of about $3,000 for the entire trip. This year our projection is between $3,500 and $4,000. The following will explain how we arrived at these figures.
On the basis of the experience of the members of Team XXIII, we estimate that the cost for the first two and half weeks at the project site and traveling with the team will be approximately $1,100. This includes meals, lodging, and the shared cost of an interpreter and transportation. We estimate that the cost for the remaining week will be approximately $60 per day or, say, $600, bringing the total in-country costs to $1,700.
Additional costs include team training, $150 (as of July 1, 2008); visa, $45-$60 (single vs. multiple entry); travel from San Francisco to Viêt Nam which we are estimating will cost at a minimum $1,500 (and could well be more by the time we procure the tickets, usually three months in advance of the team’s departure); and a contingency of $300. We also encourage team members to make a donation of $200 toward the cost of the project.
This would bring the total cost of the trip to $3,500-$4,000. For team members not living in the vicinity of San Francisco there will, of course, be some additional expense.
We arrange airline tickets to Viêt Nam and obtain a 45-day visa for the team members. We will send you a visa application.
Please read Your First Two Weeks at the Project Site and Team Training for more information about participating in a VVRP team.
If you are interested in joining the next or a future VVRP team, please complete and send the printable Team Application to us at the address below. We require a $200 deposit with the team application. Your deposit is to demonstrate your commitment to join a team. It can be applied to the cost of your travel or team training. It will be refunded if the team does not go, if you inform us prior to team training that you are unable to go, or if you, indeed, do accompany a team.
Team XXIV will depart for Viêt Nam in April, 2009. We will provide more information about team's destination and the project it will undertake as information becomes available. The application deadline is December 31, 2008. The team will be limited to 12 members. Spouses and children are welcome.
If you are interested in further information about the VVRP, are interested in joining Team XXIV or would like to make a donation, please call or write:
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2007-2008 VVRP Board of Directors |
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Charles (Bud) Bruton Joan Casey, Secretary Ed Daniels, Vice President Robert Kennedy Anila Roberts Bud Rogers, Treasurer Tony Shaw John Stockton Jim Truitt Charlie Wishart, President |
Projects Completed By The VVRP
Team I, April 1989 -- Assisted the Vietnamese in building the 'Friendship Clinic,' a primary health care facility in Vung Tau.
Team II, October 1989 -- Assisted the Vietnamese in the construction of a surgical wing at the Children's Hospital in Vinh.
Team III, May 1990 -- Worked with the Vietnamese to build a medical clinic in Yen Vien, just north of Hanoi.
Team IV, March 1992 -- Assisted the Vietnamese in the construction of a medical clinic in Xuan Hiep, just north of Ho Chi Minh City.
Team V, September 1992 -- Provided support to East Meets West in building and outfitting of a laboratory/training center at Da Nang General Hospital, near China Beach.
Team VI, November 1992 -- Provided and installed solar-generated electricity and purified, running water to the My Lai Hospital.
Team VII, April 1993 -- Assisted the Vietnamese in adding a wing to the existing hospital at Cu Chi.
Team VIII, March 1994 -- Helped construct a seven-room housing unit for ARVN amputees in Thu Duc, near Ho Chi Minh City.
Team IX, September 1995 -- Helped build 2 homes for skull-damaged NVN veterans in the Hai Ba Trung district of Hanoi. | Click here for for more Team IX Project Photos
Team X, September 1996 -- Worked alongside the Vietnamese in building 2 homes for blind NVN veterans in Hanoi, one in Dung Da district and one in Thanh Tri district.
Team XI, September 1997 -- Helped build a small 4-bedroom home at the Social Care Centre for the elderly and orphans in Loc Ninh, near the Cambodian border.
Team XII, September/October 1998 -- Worked on the construction of five houses for veterans in Quang Tri. | Click here for for more Team XII Project Photos
Team XIII, April/May 1999 -- Assisted in the construction of a vocational training facility at the Social Care Centre in Loc Ninh. | Project Construction Photos | Loc Ninh City and SCC Photos
Team XIV, November 1999 -- Worked with the Vietnamese in building five homes for disabled veterans in Quang Tri province. | Click here for for more Team XIV Project Photos
Team XV, August 2000 -- Assisted the Vietnamese in the construction of three buildings to house social programs in the Do Luong district of Nghe An Province.
Team XVI, June 2001 -- Worked with the Vietnamese in building a residential facility for children, a vocational training center and one kindergarten in Lac Son village, in the Do Luong district of Nghe An province.
Team XVII, April 2002 -- Assisted in the construction of a 3-story classroom facility at the highly successful Vocational Training Centre for Children, Do Luong, Nghe An Province with additional funding from East Meets West and Nghe An DOLISA. | Click here for more Team XVII Project Photos | Team XVII Photos by Joan Casey | Team XVII Photos by Bob Quimby
Team XVIII, September 2002 -- Assisted in the construction of ten houses for disabled Vietnamese veterans and their families in Dong Ha in Quang Tri province.
Note: In March, 2003, the VVRP provided the Do Luong Vocational Training Center for Children $8,000, which was matched by a grant of $8,000 from East Meets West. These funds were used to complete the construction of the three-story classroom building.
Team XIX, March 31, 2004 -- following a three-day orientation and team building workshop in Occidental, California, the five members traveled to Duong Hoa commune in March, 2004.
Team XX, April, 2005 -- 12 members of Team XX, by the far the largest VVRP team in recent years, visited the commune of Phong Dien in Thua-Thien Hue province where they helped build a three room primary school. | Click here for more Team XX Project Photos
Team XXI, April, 2006 -- the 12 members traveled to Huong Hoa commune, a remote village in Thien Hue province in April, 2006. The Team members helped build a one-room school house that will serve as a preschool and kindergarten for the commune’s children. The team stayed at the Thac Mo Resort, a few miles from the project site. We have photographs from two team members that we wish to share with you: Bob Kennedy and Wil Schaefer.
Team XXII, April, 2007 -- the ten members traveled to A Luoi in the A Shau Valley in T.T. Hue Province where they helped build a three-room schoolhouse. The A Luoi district, located near the Laos border and inhabited by ethnic tribes, has long been off-limits to foreigners. Team XXII was the first group of Americans since the war, other than MIA teams, to be allowed into the region to live and work with the local people. | Excerpts from Tony Shaw's Journal | John Ward Returns to Hamburger Hill
HÒA BÌNH
Vietnamese for Peace
A Video Documentary
This award-winning documentary traces the VVRP's Team VIII as they return to Viêt Nam to give something back to the Vietnamese and heal their wounds of war. Make a tax-deductible donation of $50 payable to VVRP.
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© 1998-2008 All Rights Reserved, Veterans Viêt Nam Restoration Project (VVRP) Web site updated on November 18, 2007 |
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