Ha Noi, Viet Nam: The first United Nations Volunteers Honorary Ambassador awards were presented today to 10 outstanding students of Hoa Sua Vocational Training School for Disadvantaged Youth. Jordan Ryan, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, handed over the prizes during a ceremony held at the UNDP office in Hanoi. Read

Ha Noi, Viet Nam: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) in Viet Nam, in collaboration with other International Volunteer Sending Agencies, will organize a concert to celebrate this year's International Volunteer Day. Read

Bonn, Germany: UN Volunteers' Honorary Ambassador, Mr. Takehito Nakata of Japan, paid his first visit to Viet Nam from 11 to 17 August. Viet Nam was the 26th country Mr. Nakata visited in his capacity as Honorary Ambassador. "I am glad to be able to see first hand how Viet Nam overcomes difficulties through its reform process," he said. "I have a great respect for Vietnamese culture and traditions. I am always standing by the people of Viet Nam." Read

Ha Noi, Viet Nam: The Honorary Ambassador of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, Mr. Takehito Nakata of Japan, today began a five-day visit to Viet Nam to promote the work of the United Nations and UNV. Read

BONN: To a farmer in rural northern Viet Nam, Hanoi must seem further away than just 150 miles. The country's bustling capital is one of the most vibrant places in Asia, and the economic liberalization and opening to the West, called doi moi, has fundamentally changed life there.  However, relative prosperity has yet to reach the more remote parts of the country: in the three mountainous provinces of Hoa Binh, Lai Chau and Son La, life is an altogether different experience. Read

Bonn, Germany: UNVs helped governments put the rights of children and young people onto their agendas. Read

Bonn, Germany: Vietnam is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Over the past 25 years, more than 13,000 people have been killed by such disasters. The Australian Kester Scandrett, a sea dyke engineer on a UNDP project and working in conjunction with two larger World Food Programme (WFP) projects, co-ordinated much-needed technical assistance for Vietnamese engineers and laboratory technicians to train them in advanced methods and international standards for quality control management. Read

A case study prepared for the UNV country office in Viet Nam in October 2005 looks at the contribution of volunteerism in Viet Nam and provides evidence to support the link between volunteerism and the achievement of the MDGs in this country. Read