When families look for an international secondary school in Da Nang or Hoi An, academic results are often a key consideration. Yet the most successful schools understand that preparing students for the future requires more than strong grades alone.
Secondary students need opportunities to build confidence, resilience, leadership, and independence. They need experiences that challenge them to step outside their comfort zones, collaborate with others, and discover what they are truly capable of achieving.
At Hoi An International School, Week Without Walls is one of the ways we bring this philosophy to life.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Week Without Walls is an annual experiential learning programme that takes secondary students beyond the classroom and into real world environments where learning becomes active, meaningful, and memorable.
Rather than reading about teamwork, students experience it firsthand. Rather than discussing resilience, they develop it through real challenge. Rather than learning about culture and community from a textbook, they engage directly with people and places.
For secondary students, these experiences play an essential role in developing the personal qualities needed for success in education and in life.
Adventure, Challenge, and Cultural
When families look for an international secondary school in Da Nang or Hoi An, academic results are often a key consideration. Yet the most successful schools understand that preparing students for the future requires more than strong grades alone.
Secondary students need opportunities to build confidence, resilience, leadership, and independence. They need experiences that challenge them to step outside their comfort zones, collaborate with others, and discover what they are truly capable of achieving.
At Hoi An International School, Week Without Walls is one of the ways we bring this philosophy to life.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Week Without Walls is an annual experiential learning programme that takes secondary students beyond the classroom and into real world environments where learning becomes active, meaningful, and memorable.
Rather than reading about teamwork, students experience it firsthand. Rather than discussing resilience, they develop it through real challenge. Rather than learning about culture and community from a textbook, they engage directly with people and places.
For secondary students, these experiences play an essential role in developing the personal qualities needed for success in education and in life.
Adventure, Challenge, and Cultural Connection
This year, HAIS secondary students took part in a range of outdoor and cultural experiences across Central Vietnam.
Year 7 and 8 students began their journey at Toom Sara Glamping, where they learned practical survival skills such as filtering water using bamboo, building fires, and setting up tents.
They prepared food to share with children in a local mountain village, creating meaningful moments of community connection and cultural exchange. Students learned traditional folk games from the Cơ Tu people and gained a deeper appreciation for the region’s cultural heritage.
The experience concluded with a bonfire evening before students took on canyoning and waterfall abseiling challenges that required courage, perseverance, and teamwork.
Building Independence Through Outward Bound
For Years 9 to 11, Week Without Walls took the form of an Outward Bound experience designed to develop leadership, self reliance, and collaboration.
As Year 9 students prepare for IGCSE studies and Year 11 students look ahead to A Levels, these experiences provide an important opportunity to strengthen the confidence and resilience needed for the next stage of their academic journey.
Students participated in hiking, navigation, kayaking, campcraft, outdoor abseiling, and team challenges, all requiring communication, problem solving, and adaptability.
These are the same skills that universities and future employers increasingly value alongside academic achievement.
Connecting Learning to Place
A key feature of international education at HAIS is helping students build a strong connection to the community and environment around them.
Year 9 students explored local history and culture through visits to the ancient Champa Towers, alongside activities such as hiking, raft building, beach team challenges, stargazing, and environmental learning.
By engaging with the natural and cultural landscapes of Central Vietnam, students deepen their understanding of the place they live while also developing a broader global perspective.
Why Experiential Learning Matters
Experiential learning programmes such as Week Without Walls help students develop qualities that cannot be measured through examinations alone.
These experiences foster confidence, leadership, resilience, independence, collaboration, and problem solving.
These attributes support academic success, personal wellbeing, and future readiness.
An International Secondary School That Prepares Students for Life
At Hoi An International School, we believe education should prepare students not only for examinations, but also for the opportunities and challenges beyond school.
Week Without Walls is one example of how our international secondary programme combines academic learning with real world experiences that help students grow into capable, compassionate, and confident young adults.
Because some of the most important lessons are learned when students step beyond four walls.
