American Paradise Camp (APC)
American Paradise Camp (APC) is Vietnam’s first international residential summer camp for children between the ages of 8 and 16. Native English-speaking counselors join APC each summer to give campers from around the world a memorable and rewarding summer camp experience while immersing them in a fully English-speaking environment.
Located in Vinh Loc (Phan Thiet city), 180 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, the APC campus is tucked away in a tranquil pine forest extending onto a private, white sand beach. The coastal city of Phan Thiet is a major tourist hub in southeastern Vietnam, famous for its tourism, dragon fruits and seafood. With radiant sunshine and the rhythmic sounds of the sea, Phan Thiet provides an excellent and welcoming atmosphere for a summer camp.
Programs
All campers at APC can choose from over 40 activities ranging from sports and outdoor adventures to creative arts. Several are are unique in the region, such as the high ropes course. Other choices include activities such as archery, arts & crafts, boogie boarding, drama, fishing, golf, paddle boarding, self defense, video production and yoga.
Cost
Fees for the camp are dependent on the duration of the program. Places are being filled quickly for all sessions, so book early to avoid disappointment! All fees include bus transportation, room and board, medical insurance, camp uniform, and participation in all activities. The cost of flights between Bangkok and Vietnam is not included; depending on the date of departure, they range between THB 7,000 – 12,000.
Life at Camp
On the first night of camp we have our opening campfire where children will be introduced to camp and our excited staff. They will learn where everyone is from and about the new activities they may not know.
Campers will live in groups of 6-8 with 1 or 2 counselors in a well-equipped bungalow which we call a cabin. Campers sleep in this cabin and after lunch they have cabin time when they can write letters, do quiet activities, and bond with their cabin family.
During the day children will enjoy the activities they have chosen which are taught by our highly qualified staff. A positive environment is created through safety, fun, and trying new things. The campers are encouraged to use English when interacting with each other and staff. Campers from various cultures will live and play together where they can appreciate the differences and similarities of one another. New friendships flourish in a supportive and positive environment.
Besides the daily activities, campers can also enjoy many other fun summer camp experiences like campfires, camp songs, counselor hunts, capture the flag, a disco dance, movie night, and many other special programs.
The evening activity is one of the most exciting times at camp, because the whole camp family is in one place at one
time. Every night after dinner we gather all of the campers and counselors to do something together. What do we do? Sometimes we play team games on the beach, running around yelling and playing. Sometimes we go on scavenger hunts in the woods with flashlights, exploring the camp at night. Sometimes our international counselors put on a show to entertain the campers. Sometimes it is the campers who put on a show, such as a talent show or lip sync competition. On Monday and Friday we have Opening and Closing Campfires as our evening activity. This is always a highlight of a day at camp and it’s a great way to spend time together as a community. Camp is all about a feeling of home and family with new friends, and our evening activities help create that. The evening activity usually lasts about one hour, and afterwards campers go to sleep.On the last night of camp we have our closing campfire which is a special way to end our time at camp. Campers will present what they have learned in activities such as dance and gymnastics performances and the movies they made in video production. Finally, a slideshow of pictures is viewed to reminisce about the special memories campers made with new friends.
At APC, we like to keep our campers busy and active with many different outdoor games and sports so they don’t get bored. Here is a description of a typical day for a camper here. As you can see it is quite a full day.
7:15 Rise and Shine: This is when campers wake up and start the day. They get up, take a shower, get clean, and prepare to start the day.
7:45 Times Square Meeting: Times Square is our central meeting place, the place where we gather for campfires, evening activities, performances, and many other things. We have a short meeting before breakfast with announcements about what the day will be like: we talk about what kind of evening activity is planned, what items are in the lost and found, and we also sing a song to wake everyone up. It’s a fun meeting that gets the day started off right.
8:00 Breakfast: Campers dine in our dining hall – each meal includes plenty of Asian and Western options, as well as vegetarian dishes, etc.
8:30 Cabin Clean Up: We don’t have maids or nannies at camp; campers are responsible for keeping their own beds and rooms clean. They have half an hour to do this every day, with the help of counselors of course.
9:15 – 12:45 Activities: Three daily activities happen before lunch, based on the preferences that the camper lists on their activity sheets. This could be a wide variety of activities – we offer 45 different ones to choose from. Each activity lasts one hour with fifteen-minute breaks in between.
13:00 Lunch: Back to the dining hall again.
13:45 Cabin Hour: This is a chance for campers to rest after lunch, and relax in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Campers can read, relax, play cards, or do anything they want in their free time. Cabin hour is also the time when campers write letters home on Tuesday and Thursday.
14:45 – 17:00 Activities: These are two more daily activities, each lasting an hour.
17:00 Snack: we provide a healthy fifteen-minute fruit snack in Times Square for all of the campers, so they don’t get too hungry before dinner.
17:15 – 18:00 Free Choice Activities: This is a chance for campers to try something new. Every day, five or six different activities are offered during Free Choice, and campers can go to any one they want. They can go to a different one every day, so there is always something new and different to try. This period lasts 45 minutes.
18:15 Time Square Meeting – We gather in Times Square before dinner, to talk about what everybody did that day, plan for the evening activity, and sing another song.
18:30 Dinner – More food. After dinner campers have 15-20 minutes to rest before the evening activity begins.
19:30 Evening Activity – This is a chance to gather the whole camp for one big game, performance, or competition. It lasts one hour and usually happens on the beach or in Time Square. After evening activity campers have some time to themselves to relax, get cleaned up, and prepare for bed.
21:30 Bedtime – Campers go to sleep and rest for the start of the next day.
