The College currently has 17 Senior School students and staff on a 12-day Beacon Challenge expedition in Vietnam.

This year marks the second year the College has run the program which is designed to offer students the opportunity to build on their leadership skills and immerse themselves in a unique cultural experience.

The students have spent time in Saigon, Hanoi and Mai Châu – a rural district of Hòa Bình province in the Northwest region of Vietnam – which is home to small villages, soaring limestone peaks, waterfalls and vibrant rice paddy fields. Here the group embarked on a challenging jungle hike and on Thursday they completed the service phase of their trip assisting with a building project – laying bricks, landscaping and moving rock and sand for rendering. They all worked incredibly hard and were described as ‘enthusiastic and full of energy’ by the Vietnamese builders.

Next on the agenda before heading home on Tuesday, is a long trip east to Ha Long Bay which is famous for its emerald waters and archipelago rainforest-clad limestone islands. From there the students are flying south to Ho Chi Minh City and the Saigon CBD where they will witness just how diverse Vietnam is.