An invitation · Summer 2027
Vềcome back home Nhàhouse, family, home Emme, the younger one inviting you
Come home with me.
Say it: về “vay” and nhà “nyah”, both with a falling tone, then em “em”.
Ten days in Hanoi and Da Nang in summer 2027, with Vietnamese families, students and home kitchens. Learn to speak a little Vietnamese first: five top learners whose Vietnamese videos are voted best win a sponsored stay in Vietnam.
- Summer 2027
- 10 days in Vietnam
- Hà Nội → Đà Nẵng
- 5 sponsored places
How it works
Three steps, starting with coffee
Coffee talk
“Want to grab a coffee?” Vietnamese coffee and bánh mì are on us. Hear about the trip, see photos and ask anything before you decide.
Learn to speak
Short speaking lessons on our Trường Tiếng Việt Của Em platform: greetings, ordering food, the market, the kitchen. Then make a short video in Vietnamese. The five top learners whose videos are voted best win a sponsored place.
Come home with me
About five days in Hanoi, then five in Da Nang and Hội An. Use your Vietnamese for real, every day, with people who are glad you tried.
In Vietnam
What it feels like
Eat at home, not in restaurants
Shop at the market with your hosts, cook with Vietnamese families and sit down to the meal you made. Most meals happen around a family table.
An academic exchange in Hanoi Partner to be announced
Meet students and faculty at a university in Hanoi. Compare how you study diplomacy and policy, and what careers look like on each side.
Teaching English in Vietnam, the real story
In Da Nang, meet university students and foreigners who teach English legally in Vietnam. Learn how they found work and what the visa and permit process actually involves.
Two cities, one summer
Leafy, busy Hanoi and its Old Quarter, then the beaches of Da Nang and the lantern-lit lanes of Hội An. Expect heat and sudden summer rain.
Past programs · 2023 and 2025
See it for yourself
One minute from past Educap programs in Hanoi, for which our team created the Vietnamese learning materials.
How you'll learn
Four steps, online first, then for real
Every topic follows the same learning cycle. You practise each step on our platform before you fly, then live it in Vietnam with the people you meet.
- ĐọcRead
Read a short story aloud to catch the rhythm, tones and feeling of everyday Vietnamese.
- NhớRemember
Learn the key words and phrases with picture cards and real example sentences.
- ChạmReach out
Use them in real conversations: at the market, in the kitchen, with your host family.
- NgẫmReflect
Answer a short prompt about what surprised you and what you would say next time.
Vào Bếp Nhà Em · In my Vietnamese kitchen
Eight dishes we cook with families on the trip: two with pork, two with chicken, two with beef and two vegetarian, each picked for many hands in one home kitchen. Tap a dish to learn its key words, then open its full lesson: audio in English and Vietnamese, a pronunciation guide and three games.
Dish photos show how each dish is typically served.
Who we are
The school behind the trip
Mình là Trâu Con. Hẹn gặp các bạn ở Hà Nội nhé!
I'm Trâu Con, the buffalo in the conical hat. See you in Hanoi!
Trường Tiếng Việt Của Em
Our mission: help every overseas Vietnamese child keep their Vietnamese, for free.
- 40+ free lessons across 8 themes, open to every child, for life
- Speaking practice with pictures, sound, games and recordings
- Community classes in Toronto and Prince Edward Island
- Digitized textbooks, including the Vui học Tiếng Việt series from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education Publishing House
- A member of VIETLANGNET, the global network for teaching Vietnamese language and culture
Since 2016 we have worked with Educap on programs that bring foreigners to Vietnam to explore the country and learn its language and culture before they take up work assignments there. Educap organizes these programs; our team develops their Vietnamese language learning materials. Về Nhà Em grows out of that work.
Về Nhà Em opens the platform to adult friends of Vietnam. Your feedback on the speaking lessons helps us build better speaking practice for the children.
Organized by
CVCEC · Canada–Vietnam Cultural & Educational Council
A federally incorporated non-profit in Toronto. We help young people bridge their Vietnamese heritage with active Canadian citizenship, through civic engagement, education and cross-cultural leadership programs.
Our work is people-to-people diplomacy: turning community connections into lasting cross-border collaboration. We act as a trusted bridge for:
- Public and community sectorAligning cultural initiatives with bilateral goodwill and community development.
- Academic institutionsInstitutional partnerships, academic exchanges and collaborative learning.
- Global diasporaA cultural and educational anchor for emerging youth leaders.
In the news
Our platform, classes and youth programs in Vietnam's national media.
- 27 Oct 2026Vietnamese language education network expanded across CanadaNhân Dân
- Oct 2026Honouring Vietnamese: connecting the community to preserve the languageVietnam.vn
- 28 Jul 2026Learning platform helps young overseas Vietnamese connect with Vietnamese language, cultureViệt Nam News · Vietnam+
- Jul 2026A traditional-style Vietnamese class run by CVCEC in Toronto, CanadaVietnam.vn
- 20 Apr 2026Vietnamese Canadian youth hub launched to fight mother tongue erosionVietNamNet · People's Army Newspaper
Costs
What's covered, what you bring
For the five sponsored places, we cover
- Vietnam e-visa fee, and help applying
- Homestays and hotels for all ten days
- Meals, mostly home-cooked with local families
- Airport pickups and ground transport
- Travel insurance for the program dates
You cover
- All your flights: Toronto → Hanoi, Hanoi → Da Nang and Da Nang → Toronto
- Spending money and souvenirs
- A passport valid at least 6 months after arrival
Budgeting your flights
Toronto ⇄ Hanoi, return
≈ C$1,600–2,400
Economy, one or two stops. Summer is a busy season, so fares rise as the dates get closer.
Hanoi → Da Nang
≈ US$55–105
One way on budget airlines, 1 h 20 min. Checked bags often extra.
Dates
Summer 2027
We'll confirm the exact dates early in 2027. Fly in to Nội Bài airport in Hanoi and we'll pick you up there.
Booking tip: a multi-city ticket (Toronto → Hanoi, Da Nang → Toronto) saves flying back north. In summer Hanoi is 11 hours ahead of Toronto. Lowest listed return fares seen in November 2026; book once the dates are confirmed.
Start here
Đi cà phê không?
Meet the team over Vietnamese iced coffee and bánh mì, hear about the trip and ask anything. No commitment. Register below and we'll let you know when the next coffee talk is on.
Register
Save your seat
Tell us what you'd like to join. Registering now helps us plan the summer 2027 program. Sessions with university partners are confirmed closer to the trip.
About 3 minutes
Register your interest
- Your details and what you'd like to join
- Any dietary needs, so host families can plan
- Questions for our team
Opens Google Forms in a new tab.
Questions
Before you ask
When exactly is the trip?
Summer 2027. We'll confirm the exact dates early in 2027. The program runs about ten days in Vietnam: around five days in Hanoi, then Da Nang and Hội An. You book your own flights. Land at Nội Bài airport in Hanoi and we'll pick you up. In summer Hanoi is 11 hours ahead of Toronto.
Do I need to speak Vietnamese already?
No. The online lessons start from zero and focus on what you'll use on the trip: greetings, food, prices, directions and the kitchen.
How do I get a sponsored place?
There are five. They go to the strongest learners on our online speaking lessons whose short video in Vietnamese is voted among the best. We'll share the video theme, the deadline and how voting works when the challenge opens.
Do I need a visa?
Yes. Canadian passport holders apply online for a Vietnam e-visa (about 3 working days). For sponsored participants we pay the fee, and we help everyone apply. If you hold another passport, tell us in the form.
Can I stay on and work, for example teaching English?
You can stay longer at your own cost, within your visa. Working is a different matter: teaching in Vietnam needs a work permit and work visa sponsored by an employer, and you can't work on a tourist e-visa. The Da Nang session shows you the legal route, step by step.
I have allergies or a special diet. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Two of our eight dishes are vegetarian and the others can be adapted. Tell us in the form and we'll brief each host family before you arrive.
Who organizes Về Nhà Em?
CVCEC, the Canada–Vietnam Cultural and Educational Council, a federally incorporated non-profit in Toronto, organizes the whole program, in Canada and in Vietnam. Về Nhà Em is part of our Trường Tiếng Việt Của Em platform and builds on ten years of developing Vietnamese learning materials for Educap's programs in Vietnam, since 2016.