Sponsor a child in Vietnam

We have a long history of helping children in Vietnam. Declining infant mortality and improving living standards hides the grim reality of hardship and malnutrition. Since 1967, we have given children a loving family with which to grow up, as well as the start in life they need to escape a future of hunger and poverty.

With SOS Children, you can help orphaned and abandoned children in Vietnam by sponsoring a child:

A growing economy but increasing inequality between rich and poor

The Vietnamese economy is one of the fastest growing in the area. Agriculture is still the most important sector, employing more than half the population. Yet Vietnam remains one of the poorest countries in the world; about 10% of the population are estimated to live under the nationally defined poverty line. People in rural areas are four times more likely to live in poverty than people in urban centres. The country has an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 0.4%. Whilst the disease is affecting male drug users the most, the number of cases in women is rising. Trafficking of people is an ongoing problem for Vietnam.

Children in Vietnam

• For the 26 million children in Vietnam, most have seen life improvements over previous generations. Access to healthcare and education has increased and the under-five and infant mortality rates have fallen massively over the past decades.
• However, many still face a difficult upbringing. One in three children are stunted due to malnutrition, and the same ratio are considered to be poor. Children living in rural areas or from ethnic minorities are more likely to be poor.

Our work in Vietnam

SOS Children provides children with a home, a family and a new mother in a purpose-built SOS Children's Village, where they can stay until they are ready for independent life. Our work in Vietnam began in 1967 when the first Village was established near Ho-Chi-Minh City (formerly Saigon). Fifty pre-fabricated houses provided a home for more than 500 orphans and war damaged children.

A second Village was opened at Da Lat in 1974, but both were taken over by the new government in 1976. Then in the late 1980s, after many years of negotiation with the government, they were returned to SOS Children's Villages.

Ben Tre

SOS Children's Village Ben Tre is about 50 miles south of Ho Chi Minh City. The Village has 12 family houses (each house can take 10 children), built in the architectural style typical of that region, with the roofs covered in red tiles. The Village has an SOS Nursery and an SOS School for 1,000 primary and secondary level pupils. In September 2008 an SOS Vocational Training Centre was opened to provide practical training and support for young adults to help them to increasingly make their own decisions and eventually to live independently. This centre consists of four workshops and accommodation for the students.

Ca Mau

SOS Children's Village Ca Mau (Minh Hai) is on the Mekong delta in the province of Minh Hai in South Vietnam. The Village is in the centre of the town and has 14 family houses. Smaller children attend the SOS Nursery, where up to 180 children can be taught in six group rooms. For the older children, there is an SOS School, which offers classes up to secondary level. The school has 24 classrooms with a capacity for 1,000 pupils. An SOS Youth Home was opened in the Village in 2002, to provide support for young people beginning vocational courses or continuing onto higher education. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers. In 2008 a Family Strengthening Programme was started in Ca Mau, which can help up to 200 children in the wider community.

Da Nang

SOS Children's Village Da Nang is in the capital of Quang Nam province in central Vietnam. The Village is located about 6km from the town centre, on the road to Hoi An, and is integrated into the local community with schools and markets nearby.  The 16 family houses in the Village are built in the traditional local style. In addition, there is an SOS Nursery and a primary and secondary school with the capacity for more than 1000 students.  Both the nursery and the school are open to children from the neighbourhood. The village also provides a home to take care of retired SOS mothers. An SOS Family Strengthening Programme provides counselling, psychological support and financial support to up to 250 children.

Da Lat

SOS Children's Village Da Lat is located in a residential area near to Ho Chi Minh City. The Village is situated at an altitude of 1,800m and is surrounded by pine forests. The Village has 14 family houses and a nursery with three group rooms. The SOS Primary and Secondary School has a capacity for 1,100 children in total. The Village also has an SOS Youth Home to assist young people in their transition to independent lives. In addition, the Village houses an SOS Medical Centre, which includes a dental clinic and a health centre, offering medical treatment and counselling to the local community, as well as for the staff and children who live in the Village. An SOS Family Strengthening Programme offers further counselling and financial support to the wider community.

Dong Hoi

SOS Children's Village Dong Hoi is the capital of the central province, Quang Binh, near the border with Laos. The province is one of the poorest regions of the country where average per capita income is only 50% of that of the whole country. The Village, which opened in 2005, provides an essential service to many of the orphans located in the province. The Village has 12 family houses and an SOS Nursery with six rooms and the capacity for 180 children. Teachers in the Village have helped to organise cultural, arts and sport activities for the children to supplement their education.

Hai Phong

SOS Children's Village Hai Phong, on the Gulf of Tonkin, is located near an economically important port about 80 miles east of Hanoi. SOS Children's Village Hai Phong was opened in August 1996 and is situated in the town centre, near a market and a hospital.  It has 14 family houses and an SOS Youth Home. Due to fluctuating food prices in the country, each family grows its own vegetables on a small plot close to their homes. The Village also has an SOS Nursery and an SOS School with 21 rooms and a total capacity of over 1,000 pupils.

Mai Dich

SOS Children's Village Mai Dich (Hanoi) is located on the outskirts of the capital Hanoi. The Village has 16 family houses and an SOS Youth Home, as well as an SOS Nursery for up to 95 children and a primary/secondary school for over 800 students. The children are taught about nutrition and healthy eating to enable them to lead healthy lives once they leave the Village. The Village also houses an SOS Vocational Training Centre for co-workers and SOS mothers.

Go Vap

SOS Children’s Village Go Vap (Ho Chi Minh City), in a suburb of Ho Chin Minh City (formerly Saigon) has 20 family houses built in the local style, ideal for the hot climate. The Village also has a day care centre and an SOS Nursery.  An SOS School was opened in the Village in September 1993, initially as a primary school. However, the school was soon extended and now offers classes up to secondary level for a total of 1,100 children. The Village also provides an SOS Youth Home for older children.

Nha Trang

SOS Children's Village Nha Trang is on the south coast of Vietnam and is a coastal town visited by many tourists. The Village was established in 1999 and has 14 family houses and an SOS Nursery for 190 children. The Village has a 1,000-capacity school for both primary and secondary level pupils, with facilities including 24 classrooms, a library and a canteen.

Thanh Hoa

SOS Children's Village Thanh Hoa is the provincial capital of Vietnam's second largest province and borders onto Laos. Thanh Hoa is one of Vietnam's poorest provinces and local authorities lack the financial means to support the region's many needy children. The SOS Children's Village, which opened in 2005, has 14 family homes. There is also a community centre and an SOS Nursery for 180 children from both the Village and the local community. An SOS School opened in 2010 and offers education to up to 350 students. The Village has a house for SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees and family helpers who support the SOS mothers).

Viet Tri

SOS Children's Village Viet Tri is in the capital of Vinh Phu province, about 45 miles north-west of Hanoi. The Village, which opened in 1999, has 15 family houses and an SOS Youth Home which together are home to over 160 children and young people.  There is also an SOS Nursery and an SOS School for 1,000 primary and secondary pupils. The SOS Vocational Training Centre, which was opened in 2005, offers training for up to 300 young people. In addition to various crafts, students can attend IT and English classes and are supported to make the transition into adulthood. The nursery, school and training centre are all attended by children and youngsters from the local community.

Vinh

SOS Children's Village Vinh is in the north of Vietnam. The Village, located in the centre of the city, is close to a hospital, markets and various schools. The Village has 15 family houses, built in a low and very solid style to withstand the typhoons which often hit this region. The Village has an SOS Nursery, an SOS Youth Home and an SOS School for 1,200 pupils. In January 2008, we started a Family Strengthening Programme. Monthly financial support is provided to orphaned, abandoned and poor children in the neighbourhood to cover their basic needs.

Dien Bien Phu

A thirteenth village is located in Dien Bien Phu, west of Hanoi, near the border with Laos. Dien Bien is a mountainous province in the north-west of Vietnam and is one of the country's poorest provinces. The population lives mainly on agriculture, and there are many people in need, especially children. In 2007, SOS Children decided to set up a Village here, consisting of 14 family houses for up to 140 children, and staff accommodation including the village director's house. The Village was officially opened in December 2009.

Quy Nhon

SOS Children's Village Quy Nhon opened in Vietnam in June 2011. Quy Nhon is the capital of the coastal province of Binh Dinh in central Vietnam. The village has fourteen family houses for up to 140 children. An SOS Nursery offers pre-school education for the youngest children.

Thai Binh

Thai Binh is a neglected region on the northern coastline. Despite recent change, families are struggling to stay afloat, suffering as a result of poor housing, inadequate education provision and patchy employment. We are working to keep fragile families together, helping them secure the means to support themselves and ensuring children do not end up alone.

Pleiku

Many families in the central province of Gia Lai are in desperate need of support due to poor social and economic conditions. The severity of the situation prompted local authorities to appeal to SOS Children for our help. The result is SOS Children's Village Pleiku, our latest project in Vietnam. The Village is not finished yet but when it opens will offer a home to up to 140 children, alongside vital support to vulnerable families in the area.

SOS Children's Villages in Vietnam: A new leaf in my life

An SOS youth from Viet Tri shares his memories:

I had my small happiness and family love stolen when my mother died from cancer. My grandmother took me in, but she was already leading a difficult life and eventually made the hard decision to send me to the SOS Children's Village in Viet Tri where she knew I would have a better life. My life in the SOS Children's Village was far different from my imagination. I have a mother, brothers and sisters. Calling someone else "mother" was difficult at first but my life was saved by a miracle: I have found a new mother. She loves me and the other siblings in our house very much. My life turned over a new leaf. I have been provided with a good education and good care, especially living in the great love of the village community.

In return, I have made all-out efforts in studying. Very late at night I studied, alone with my books. It seems my efforts have been rewarded considerably and I have recorded good achievements. I have obtained the title "Excellent Student" for many consecutive years at the municipal and provincial level (recently, I have won second prize in the History test of excellent students at provincial level). I passed the examination to enter the most prestigious senior secondary school in the province on second rank.

I am now a twelfth grader and in the final year of high school. There is only a short time left for me to sit for the university entrance examination. I wish to make my dream of studying at university come true and in return, pay my debt of gratitude for the precious care to my mother and the village community. I hope to become a lawyer, a responsible citizen. However, wherever I live in the future, the time I have spent in SOS Children's Village Viet Tri is never-to-be-forgotten.

Local Contact

SOS Children's Villages of Vietnam

Alley 1,

Pham Van Dong Street

Mai Dich, Cau Giay

Hanoi

Vietnam

Tel: +84 -4-3-7644019

Fax: +84-4-3-7644 020

e-mail: office@sosvietnam.org