Citizen Diplomacy Trips
Our Citizen Diplomacy Trips provide a group travel experience that reaches beyond simplistic views and provides a chance for people to experience Vietnam from a unique and rewarding perspective that is rarely offered. PeaceTrees' Citizen Diplomats participate in activities that foster mutual understanding, shared learning, reconciliation, peacebuilding, and friendship among those impacted by the U.S.-Vietnam War and its legacies. We have offered trips since the mid-1990s and currently offer around 3-6 trips a year.
Citizen Diplomacy Trips offer opportunities to:
- Learn about U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations
- Engage in the organization's war legacy work
- Meet our in-country partners
- Participate in reconciliation, peacebuilding, and building friendships
- Experience the country and culture in a meaningful way
Citizen Diplomacy has made it possible to create the strong trust and partnership PeaceTrees shares with local communities and Vietnamese leadership. This trust allows us to facilitate genuine opportunities for connection and provides a new perspective on U.S.-Vietnamese relations.
We invite anyone who is interested in becoming a Citizen Diplomat to reach out to us. We especially encourage those who have been directly and indirectly impacted by the U.S.-Vietnam War or who have a connection to the country to apply. This includes but is not limited to refugees, immigrants, veterans, and descendants of those affected by the war. Those who do not have ties to the U.S.-Vietnam war personally, but have been impacted by other conflict and want to learn about rebuilding from war, reconciliation, and peacebuilding are also encouraged to apply.
Submit a general Trip Application if you are interested in traveling with us. Would you like to learn more or are you interested in supporting this program? Contact our Citizen Diplomacy Manager, Kimberly Hoàng, by email at kimberly@peacetreesvietnam.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Upcoming Trips
March 28 - April 10, 2027 led by Christoph Giebel
Christoph Giebel is Associate Professor of International Studies and History at the University of Washington. His research and teaching interests concern 20th century Vietnam; comparative colonialism and (French and US) imperialism in (Southeast) Asia; history, historiography, and memory; and the spatial representations of the wars in Viet Nam. Professor Giebel has partnered with PeaceTrees Vietnam for the past 20 years to direct study abroad programs in Vietnam, all of which have received uniformly enthusiastic student evaluations. He led his first CDT with PeaceTrees in 2018 and by demand of travelers has continued to lead annual trips with the organization.
May 9 to May 22, 2027 led by Thoa Nguyễn
Thoa Nguyễn who is an artist, former board member, and retired restauranteur. Thoa came to the United States in 1975 as an 11-year-old refugee from Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon. In 2007, she returned to Vietnam via PeaceTrees through a culinary CDT. Since then, she has revisited and led trips to Vietnam many times. With Thoa’s culinary background, this trip will also highlight the nation’s cuisine as a platform to explore Vietnam.
Summer 2027 led by Daniel Nguyễn (heritage trip)
Daniel's parents immigrated from Saigon by boat after the end of the Vietnam War and arrived to Seattle as refugees in January 1980. He was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington. Upon graduation he moved to Ho Chi Minh City to teach English and reconnect with Vietnamese culture, community and family. After years of working and living in Asia, he returned to Seattle to work in the technology industry. Daniel has been a board member with PeaceTrees Vietnam since 2018, is a member of the fundraising and governance committees, and has participated in several Citizen Diplomacy Trips. As a trip leader, Daniel will foster an experience focused on identity and culture to support travelers who wish to explore their roots and connect with Vietnam.
The heritage trip offers those with Vietnamese heritage a way to experience Vietnam with their peers in a meaningful way. Please contact kimberly@peacetreesvietnam.org to learn more about this trip.
Read our stories on Vietnamese American Perspectives to hear firsthand from young Citizen Diplomats who describe their transformative experiences traveling through Vietnam with us.
See our Heritage Circle to learn more about how PeaceTrees is supporting younger generations facing the ongoing legacies of the U.S.-Vietnam war.
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