US Peace Corps Director Carolyn Hessler Radelet (L, front) and Vietnamese ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh (R) exchange document after signing a document on Peace Corps Operation in Vietnam. Photo by REUTERS/Kham |
After a decade of discussions, Vietnam and the United States have finally signed an agreement that will bring the Peace Corps to Vietnam and allow the volunteer organization to set up English programs in the country's two biggest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
US Peace Corps Director Carolyn Hessler Radelet and Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh signed the Peace Corps Operation agreement in Vietnam on May 24 witnessed by US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
According to the agreement, the first group of about 20 Peace Corps volunteers will come to Vietnam next year.
The program is expected to expand to more cities in the following years.
The Peace Corps was established by President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy urged college students to dedicate two years of their lives to helping people in developing countries.
More than 220,000 Americans have served in the volunteer program in 140 host countries.
As President Barack Obama continues on his historic three-day visit to Vietnam, he meets young Vietnamese people on May 24.
