The Feeling of Endless Impact
Vallabh Vidyanagar — Gujarat's planned city of learning, built by visionaries and powered by the students who fill its campuses and tree-lined avenues.
Vallabh Vidyanagar — known simply as VVN — is a planned educational township in Gujarat's Anand district, founded in 1945 by the visionary engineer Bhailalbhai Patel (fondly remembered as Bhaikaka) with the backing of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, after whom the town is named. Built from farmland barely three kilometres from Anand, VVN grew into one of Gujarat's most important centres of higher education, home to Sardar Patel University, Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya, and the sprawling CHARUSAT campus.
For exchange participants, VVN offers a rare mix: the quiet, tree-lined calm of a purpose-built university town, paired with the energy of the Charotar region's dairy cooperatives, chikoo orchards, and Gujarat's famously warm hospitality — all a short ride from Anand and the Statue of Unity.
What makes VVN unforgettable.
Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya, established in 1948 on funds raised at Sardar Patel's request, was one of Gujarat's first engineering colleges and the seed around which the rest of the town grew. Today it sits alongside Sardar Patel University — founded in 1955 as one of the earliest post-independence universities in the state — and the modern CHARUSAT campus, making VVN a town whose entire identity is education.
The Charutar Vidya Mandal trust runs a cluster of arts, science, commerce, and law colleges across VVN, their gardened lawns and low-rise 1950s architecture giving the town a distinctive, unhurried campus feel. Walking between them in the evening, as students spill out onto the circular roads, is the clearest sense of what daily life here actually looks like.
Three kilometres away in Anand, the Amul dairy cooperative sparked India's White Revolution in the 1940s and 50s, turning the Charotar region into the country's dairy heartland and Amul into one of its best-known brands. The dairy's plant and museum are a short and popular trip from VVN, and the cooperative model behind it still shapes the region's economy today.
Around 90 kilometres from VVN, on an island in the Narmada river at Kevadia, stands the Statue of Unity — at 182 metres, the tallest statue in the world, built in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the same leader VVN itself is named after. It is one of the most popular day trips for students and visitors based in the Charotar region.
The fertile Charotar belt around VVN and Anand is one of India's leading chikoo (sapota) growing regions, its orchards ringing the town in every direction. Roadside stalls sell the fruit fresh through the season, and a short drive out of town puts you straight into the orchards that supply much of Gujarat's chikoo.
For nine nights every autumn, VVN's college grounds and society squares turn into open-air Garba floors, with students and residents circling late into the night in traditional chaniya cholis and kediyus. It is Gujarat's biggest cultural event, and a university town like VVN celebrates it with particular intensity.
Anand's railway station sits on the main Ahmedabad–Vadodara line, making it the easiest way in and out of the Charotar region and the twin-town relationship between Anand and VVN its most practical everyday reality. Most exchange participants pass through it within their first hour in the region.
A proper Gujarati thali here comes with the region's own Charotar touches — a hint of sugar in the shaak, farsan on the side, and buttermilk or chaas to close the meal — served unlimited at local messes near every campus. It is the cheapest and most reliable way to eat well in VVN, most days of the week.
Everything you need to know before arriving in VVN.
Options include hostels, PGs, and host families close to the college clusters — ideally within a short walk or cycle ride of your workplace. Your local committee will help arrange everything.
VVN is very affordable — expect ₹6,000–8,000/month for food, accommodation, and travel, keeping in line with its small-town, student-driven economy.
Shared autos and rickshaws connect VVN with Anand, and Anand Junction gives easy rail access across Gujarat. Ola/Uber coverage is limited but available for longer trips.
You'll need a valid Indian visa for your exchange. Your local committee will provide a detailed visa guide and assist with the application process.
Shree Krishna Hospital in nearby Karamsad, one of the region's most respected teaching hospitals, along with clinics across VVN and Anand, cover routine and emergency care. Your LC will provide a full health support guide on arrival.
Gujarati is the primary language; Hindi and English are widely understood, especially among the town's large student population.
Pick up a Jio or Airtel SIM on arrival. Coverage is reliable throughout VVN and Anand, helped along by the dense student population.
VVN is a quiet, largely vegetarian, education-first town — dress modestly, expect an early-to-bed rhythm around campus schedules, and lean into the warmth of Gujarati hospitality.
How to experience VVN through AIESEC.
A professional internship experience designed to accelerate your career development in a global setting. Work with VVN's growing industries and gain real-world professional skills in a campus-driven town.
Your dedicated team in VVN, ready to make your exchange experience exceptional.
Reach out to our national team for any questions about exchanges in VVN.
