PAYING VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Play a part in the rescue and rehabilitation of confiscated carnivores and pangolins from the illegal hunting and wildlife trade. You will:
- Get a rare opportunity to see and work with some of the rarest species in Asia
- Take part in all aspects of life at SVW with a team of people who are making a difference for wildlife
- Learn basic husbandry skills to care for pangolin and small carnivores
- Gain an insight into conservation issues faced in Vietnam, and what’s being done to save our wildlife
WHY VOLUNTEER WITH US?
REQUIREMENTS
- 16 years of age or older
- physically fit
- minimum commitment of 1 week
- ability to speak basic English
- Tuberculosis (TB) test
* Negative within the last year - Rabies
* Series of three
* Titer check if vaccinated in the last 2 years - Measles-Mups-Rubella (MMR)
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Tetanus
COST
All volunteers are required to pay for their time here.
The money covers your accommodation and food costs. All meals will be covered at a local restaurants.You will have a room to yourself at Cuc Phuong National Park.
Any money left over from your stay is used for materials for enclosure upgrades, food for the animals and materials for the captive program.
We ensure that all volunteer donations go directly back into the wellbeing of the rescued animals.
GET YOURSELF INVOLVED IN OUR PROGRAM TODAY
To ensure our rescued animals’ welfare and improve your volunteer experience,
we only accept a very few volunteers at a time.
For your information:
Stories of our volunteers
Behind the pangolin rehabilitation: The hard work of SVW's keepers and volunteers
Six months of volunteering abroad at Save Vietnam's Wildlife
First Pangolins Release Trip in 2023
PROFESSIONAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Our professional volunteer program is for skilled professionals who can help us implement specific projects.
Professional volunteers are waived the normal volunteer costs and pay only for their food and accommodation (which in Vietnam is low).
Volunteer's Guide
Open Opportunities:
It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fee covers your accommodation in Cuc Phuong National Park, three meals per day, rental phone and bike, WiFi, SVW t-shirts and volunteer program support costs. Any money left over from your stay goes directly back into the wellbeing of the rescued animals and is used for materials for enclosure upgrades, food and enrichment for the animals.
All prices in are in US dollars and are per person per week.
1 – 2 weeks: $400/week
3 – 6 weeks: $350/week
more than 7 weeks: $300/week
– 16 years of age or older
– current on your tetanus vaccination
– physically fit
– minimum commitment of 1 week
– ability to speak basic English
– good sense of humor
- Enclosure maintenance and cleaning. This includes assisting the keepers in general husbandry activities such as raking, maintaining gardens, keeping paths and gardens free of leaves and rubbish, painting enclosures and external walls when needed.
- Collecting and preparing animals diets
- Making environmental enrichment
- Monitoring animal behaviour and success of enrichment
- As we’re a rescue centre new animals and situations are happening all the time, so it is hard to predict what opportunities may arise.
Daily working hours are from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM in the morning and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the afternoon. The volunteers are required to work five days per week (from Monday to Friday) and enjoy their free time to explore other places. Working on weekends are optional and needed to be organized with our staff.
We also offer night shift from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM for the ones who want to help feeding animals or observe their activities (our animals are nocturnal).
As you will spend a significant amount of time working with wild animals, we highly recommend you to be vaccinated against tetanus.
During your time volunteering at our organisation, there is plenty to do and our staff can help organize activities, including providing transport and paying for entry:
– Cuc Phuong National Park
– Endangered Primate Rescue Centre (EPRC) is right next door. Here you’ll get to see a range of primates including the critically endangered Cat Ba Langur and Delacour Langur.
– Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) is just across the road. It houses a wide range of Asian species (almost 1000 turtles of over 20 species).
From Cuc Phuong National Park, you can easily take a trip to Van Long Nature Reserve where you can see Delacour Langurs in the wild, to Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest Pagoda in Southeast Asia, or to Tam Coc, Ngoc Son and Pu Luong Nature Reserves.
Our centre is situated in Cuc Phuong National Park in the karst mountains of Ninh Binh province about 120 km south of Hanoi. It takes about 2 – 3 hours to get here from Hanoi and costs about US$ 5 – 75 depending on your choice of transportation (Bus: US$ 5, Taxi US$ 65-75).
We can help you book a taxi to pick you up from the airport or your hotel in Hanoi. A one-way taxi costs approximately US$65-75.
The centre can be reached by public bus from Giap Bat bus station in Hanoi to Cuc Phuong at 3:15pm. A one-way trip costs 85.000 VND and you can buy your bus ticket at ticket counter 1. The name of the bus is ‘Phu Duyen’ with number plate 35H-0847. You can call the bus driver on tel: 0988.118.215
There is another bus departing Hanoi to Nho Quan every day, on the hour from 7:00am until 4:00pm. From Nho Quan, you will need to arrange a taxi, 150,000 – 200,000 VND or motorbike taxi (Xe Om), 80,000-100,000 VND to Cuc Phuong.