Year 5

Hippo Farm

BISV Trip 1 4.3.26 - 6.3.26 Led by Ms KujKodzo.williams@bisvietnam.com

MNHC Trip 2 11.3.26 - 13.3.26 Led by Mr Nick nick.townsend@bisvietnam.com

Introduction

As part of the British International School’s compulsory residential programme, Year 5 pupils will be travelling to Hippo Farm in Bien Hoa, approximately 1 hour's drive from BIS for a 2 night adventure.

Hippo Farm's philosophy is to teach permaculture, sustainability, and activities that encourage connection with nature. Hippo is the ancient Greek word for horse, and our students will visit the stables, learn about horse grooming and have the option to enjoy a short pony ride. Don't worry, there are no hippos at Hippo Farm!

The programme has been organised in conjunction with Asia Motions, a professional company, based in Vietnam. They specialise in adventure activities and tours, and provide a high standard of safety and technical expertise.

Year 5 Parent Trip Presentation 25_26.pdf

Consent

Trip 1: BISV

Trip 2: NMHC

Please click on the consent button on Schools buddy to acknowledge our ‘Liability Waiver’ and ‘BIS Student Behaviour Pledge’ and consent for your child to attend.

At a later date, we will request consent for your child to take part in the short pony ride (helmets provided) and that you accept the liability waiver for this activity from Hippo Farm. Please note: if our school office does not have up to date medical and dietary information for your child, please let the office know. We will use information on our records to plan the trip.

Payment

The cost of the expedition is is 9,000,000vnd. Please make payment by 6th December. Please pay either in person to Ms Nhi our cashier in the Junior Campus office or by online transfer. If you pay online, please include your child’s name in the transfer details (e.g. “Jane Nguyen – Y5 Hippo Farm”) and email Ms Nhi with confirmation of your payment: Nhi.Cao@bisvietnam.com.

Location

Hippo Farm is approximately 1 hour from HCMC in Dong Nai.

Meeting and Pick up Arrangements

Correspondence to be posted here

Meeting Place

All students should wear their Hippo Farm t-shirts (these will be given out shortly) to school on the day of departure. Students will meet their class teachers at the Basketball Court near Gate B on the Wednesday of departure at 8am. We aim to be on the buses by 8:15am. Students do not need to go to their classrooms on the morning of the trip. After the register has been taken at the Basketball Court, we will depart from Gate B. Parents are welcome to come into school on that day and wave their children off.

Pick Up Arrangements

We are scheduled to arrive back on campus between 1 and 1:15pm on the Friday of our trip. We plan to arrive at Gate B. To ensure all students are accounted for, we would like to take all students to the basketball court on arrival at BIS for dismissal. Teachers will tick off your child’s name once collected, so please do not take your child directly from the bus. If you are late for pick up, students can be collected from the Y5 classrooms until 2:30. After 2:30pm, students can be collected from the school office. Make sure you let the class teacher know you have taken your child. (Please note that Y4 buses will be arriving back at the JC at a similar time to us.)

Students who usually take the bus home from school will need to be collected from school at 1:15pm.

After school Vietnamese classes for students who have returned from the trip that day will be cancelled. Please collect your child at 1:15pm.

Schedule

For your reference, the schedule for last year's trip is here.

Please make sure you scroll down to read the information below about:

Medication, Dietary Needs and Health Needs
Packing List
Snacks - not permitted NO NUTS
Communication during trips - updates and photo links
Emergency contacts

Accommodation

One night students will share a dormitory in groups of approximately 8. Each dormitory has a shower with hot water and a dry toilet.

One night students will sleep in a tent in groups of up to 8 students. The showers and toilets are about close to the tents. These showers will not have hot water.

Students will be involved in choosing accommodation groups and these will be decided several weeks before departure.

Staff will sleep in the dormitories and/ or tents right next to the students and will be available to support any children who wake up during the night.

Toilets

There are dry toilets in each dormitory, at the camping area and around the farm. Children are taught how to use the dry toilets. In the restaurant there are flushing toilets.

Food and Dietary Requirements

Link to approximate menu from March 2024.

NO NUTS ARE ALLOWED ON THE TRIP OR ON HIPPO FARM

All food allergies and special diets will be catered for. Please make sure your child's allergies and dietary requirements are up to date on our school records. Parents must ensure our school office has received up to date information of allergies and dietary requirements as we will plan the menus around the information we have on our system.

There will be plenty of food, drinks and snack provided. Students are not permitted to bring snacks as it will encourage ants in the accommodation. There are many water stations around Hippo Farm.

Updates and photos 2025

Photographs of the activities will be shared via Asiamotions’ 'SmugMug' links at the end of each day. BIS staff may also upload photos from the trips for you to view at the link below. The trip leader will post an update each evening on this site and on Seesaw.

View photos from TRIP 1

view photos from TRIP 2

Medication

We will use the information parents have already supplied to the school office when planning for health needs of specific students on the trip. Please inform the school office or Nurse Tam tam.n@bisvietnam.com of any updates.

All medicine will be kept and administered by an allocated teacher. Medicines should be labelled with your child’s name, the dosage and time of day it should be taken. A letter giving details, and signed by the parent/guardian, should also be given to the class teacher before or at the time of departure.

No medicine should be kept by the children, except for those who use asthma inhalers. These pupils should carry their own, named, inhaler at all times; a ‘spare’ should be handed in, also named.

We will not be able to administer non-essential medicines such as vitamins.

Medical Provision

Covid-19 procedures from the government and BIS will be adhered to.

Asia Motions and BIS staff include trained First Aiders.

Location Hospital/clinic: Bệnh Viện Đa Khoa, Huyện Trảng Bom

OR Hospital of Shingmark, Medical University Dong Nai

Main hospital for evacuation located in Ho Chi Minh City: FV Hospital or Family Medical Practice.

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance will be arranged for each student using information on our school records. Please make sure the school has up to date passport information for your child. The cover is standard cover for our pupils as used on all BIS trips. It includes cover for a range of eventualities including personal accident. If you require any further details please contact the school.

Packing List

Student should be responsible for packing their belongings so that they know which items are theirs. Please make sure every item is named.

Students may bring a watch or alarm clock to help them with time management, but iPads, phones and watches which can connect to the internet are not permitted on the trip. Students will not be messaging their families over the course of the trip.

Due to the outdoor nature of the trip, snacks of any sort are not permitted. Nobody wants ants in their tent or dormitory!

Emergency Contact Details

If there is an emergency please contact Mr Ian Battersby .

His number is 0833986307

He will then contact the teachers at Hippo Farm.

Please do not contact the teachers, Asia Motions or Hippo Farm directly.

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