1. Citizen Diplomacy
with PeaceTrees Vietnam
Our Citizen Diplomacy trips provide an
opportunity for travelers to volunteer and
experience Vietnam from a unique and
rewarding perspective. PeaceTrees
Ambassadors make personal connections with
our Vietnamese sponsors by working alongside
them, sharing meals, and planting trees.
Our trips include several days at the beginning
and end of our service work to explore Vietnam
in its many facets its scooter-­filled cities,
gracious old towns, beautiful beaches and
sobering battlefields. The heart of the trip is in
Quang Tri Province, where PeaceTrees
concentrates its humanitarian demining and
poverty alleviation. Having endured some of the
heaviest bombardment and deadliest conflicts
of the Vietnam War, this countryside provides
both a remarkable glimpse into the past, and a
The activities of Quang Tri are designed to
provide as much personal and meaningful
interaction as possible between PeaceTrees
ambassadors and the Vietnamese people. After
seventeen years of working in the province,
PeaceTrees Vietnam has established many close
relationships founded on trust and the shared
goals to nurture friendships and heal the
wounds of war. These strong ties help to open
doors and shed light on life as it is lived by the
Vietnamese people today.
509 Olive Way, Suite 1226
Seattle, WA 98101
phone | 206.441.6136
email | info@peacetreesvietnam.org
www.peacetreesvietnam.org
Testimonials
of past attendees
After four diplomacy trips to Vietnam, I feel my
work has just begun and I look forward to
continuing this essential connection through
this extraordinary organization.
April Smock | Danville, CA
The time spent with the children was just abso-­
lutely fulfilling and I hope to get everyone else
involved. I can't wait to return to Vietnam. I
am looking forward to one day seeing Quang Le
and his staff.
Amanda Ledesma | Seattle, WA
My wife and I
both look forward
to returning to
Vietnam. Being
there provides a
sense of balance
as to what things
should be most
important in life.
Peace and satis-­
faction with life is
possible with service work. Possessions and
things only provide short-­lived satisfaction.
What a life-­changing experience this trip has
been!
Gary McLaughlin and
Gwen Fujii-­McLaughlin | Seattle, WA
Join PeaceTrees Vietnam in our
mission to heal communities
affected by war.
Citizen Diplomacy Trips

2. Upcoming Trips
2015
Healing the Land
Building
Communities
Planting Futures
Winter
January 15th-­29th*
Spring
March 27th-­April 12th*
Fall
August 12th-­26th*
*To accommodate travel, trip dates are subject
to some adjustment.
Vietnam is part of
one of the world's
"mega-­diverse"
regions endowed
with rich flora
that provides
food, medicines,
and a vast array
of other goods and services within and
beyond its borders.
Unfortunately, war,
chemical defoliation,
and population growth
have destroyed nearly
forestland since 1945.
So far, every Citizen
Diplomacy trip has
included tree-­planting
as a symbolic way for
PeaceTrees
Ambassadors to physically heal the land from
the wounds of war alongside the Vietnamese
people. We continue this tradition of
strengthening the land so that future
generations can live safer, healthier, and
happier lives.
PeaceTrees Vietnam works primarily in the
districts of Quang Tri Province, where poverty
rates tend to be high due to lack of
opportunities and resources afforded to the
ethnic minorities that live there.
In 2014, PeaceTrees
Ambassadors had the
opportunity to attend
a groundbreaking
ceremony for Ba Long
Village Community
Center, and witness
how PeaceTrees
Vietnam works to
build communities
The Citizen Diplomacy Trip experience
strengthens the ties between Vietnamese and
American citizens, and signifies a step toward
healing and brighter futures. Our ambassadors
experience a deep exposure to the Vietnamese
culture, and gain valuable insight to the
experiences of the Vietnamese people.
remarkable diversity of
the people who came out,
their passion, and finally
the actual results that
have come to fruition as a
healing between our two
-­Michael Michalak,
US Ambassador to Vietnam
where they are most needed by providing
scholarships, financing microcredit loans for
community learning centers.