Convenors, Guest of Honor & Invited Speakers
EWV 15 Conference Convenors
Dr. Phan Le Ha, Founder of Engaging With Vietnam (engagingwithvietnam.org), holds an Honorary Professorship in the IOE – Culture, Communication & Media, University College London, UK. She was previously Senior Professor in the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, tenured Full Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. She has been serving as editor, associate editor and editorial board members for book series and journals published by internationally renowned publishers such as Multilingual Matters (UK), Routledge, Wiley, SAGE, and Cambridge University Press. Phan Le Ha has taught and published extensively on English language education, identity-language-culture-pedagogy, global/international/transnational higher education, international and development education, academic mobilities, and sociology of knowledge. Her research work has covered many contexts in Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Asia-Pacific and the Gulf regions.
Together with Liam C. Kelley, Phan Le Ha founded the Global Vietnam book series with Springer Nature, and the Global Vietnam journal with Amsterdam University Press. Phan Le Ha and Liam C. Kelley are the Founding Editors and Editors-in-Chief of the Global Vietnam book series and journal. Phan Le Ha has also published poems, short novels and stories in English and Vietnamese. She has collaborated with artists and musicians to write songs and create albums, which include “Người Nghệ Sỹ Đường Phố” (Street Musicians) with Bao Dat, “Nhìn Lại” (Looking Back) with Ngo Hong Quang, and “Poetry Jazz The Muse” (Nàng Thơ) with Nguyen Bao Long and Pham Ha Linh. She also wrote the lyrics for eight songs in the album entitled “Những Con Sông Ngón Tay,” a collaboration with Tran Duc Minh and Tran Thu Ha (Ha Tran).
Dr. Liam C. Kelley is a historian of premodern Vietnam. Formerly Associate Professor of Southeast Asian Studies in the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), and tenured Associate Professor of Southeast Asian History at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, he has published on a variety of topics, from the culture of premodern Sino-Vietnamese diplomatic relations, to the medieval construction of Vietnamese antiquity, to the impact of globalization and the digital revolution on area studies, to the history of the Southeast Asian polity of “Srivijaya.”
Together with Phan Le Ha, Liam Kelley co-organizes the Engaging with Vietnam conference series, and co-founded the Global Vietnam book series with Springer Nature, and the Global Vietnam journal with Amsterdam University Press.
Dr. Nguyễn Văn Hiệu is an Associate Professor (PGS.TS) and the Rector of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (VNU-SIS), Vietnam National University, Hanoi. He previously headed VNU’s Faculty of Interdisciplinary Sciences and led its upgrade into the current School in 2024. His academic background is in linguistics: he earned a PhD from Vietnam National University in 2004 and was conferred the title of Associate Professor in 2009. His research focuses on Vietnamese linguistics and culture—especially minority languages, dialectology, toponymy, and teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language. As Rector, he is advancing interdisciplinary programs spanning creative industries, arts and design, and related fields.
Guest of Honor
Born in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, Senior Ambassador Vu Quang Minh received a prestigious merit-based scholarship to study at the Kiev Taras Shevchenko National University in Ukraine (1982-1983), and then the International Economic Relations Department, Moscow International Relations Institute, in the former Soviet Union (MGIMO, 1983-1988, BA/MA). Later, he graduated with a MPA degree from Princeton University, USA (WWS, 1993-1995) under the Fulbright Scholarship; attended short-term specialized courses, training programs and executive courses at the Manila Foreign Service Institute, Canadian Center for Management – CCMD, the Economic Institute at Boulder, Colorado, and Harvard University (USA). He is fluent in Vietnamese (native), Russian and English, with some communication and basic skills in French. He likes music, classical guitar, literature, chess, table tennis, golf, and swimming.
Senior Ambassador Vu Quang Minh joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam (MOFA) in 1990, and has worked in several Departments of the Ministry, including Departments for the Soviet Union (now part of the Department for Europe), UNESCO National Secretariat (now Department for External Relations for Local Governments and Cultural Diplomacy), ASEAN National Secretariat (ASEAN Affairs Department), Office of the Foreign Minister, Multilateral Economic Cooperation Department, and Economic Affairs Department (now Department for Economic Diplomacy). He was appointed Viet Nam’s Ambassador to the UK and Ireland (2010-2014), Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia (2017-2021), and Ambassador to Germany (2022-2025).
Over the years, Senior Ambassador Vu Quang Minh has also held important roles in MOFA, including Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director-General of the Economic Affairs, and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. On November19, 2018, then Vice Minister Vu Quang Minh was granted by President Nguyen Phu Trong a life title of Senior Ambassador – the highest rank for a diplomat (Đại sứ Bậc II). During his 35-year career, Senior Ambassador Vu Quang Minh has also received a number of prestigious awards and honours, including Viet Nam´s Labour Orders (third and second rank), two times Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sahametrei, Moha Sereivath grade (highest) and one time Commander of the Royal Order of Sahametrei, Tepidin grade (third rank) by the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
INVITED SPEAKERS
Director, Lecturer, Dr and Meritorious Artist (NSUT) Bui Nhu Lai – Rector of Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema – is a testament to unlimited creativity and tireless, innovative, and dedicated work in all roles he has been assigned, taken on, or actively learned to renew his artistic practice and bring art closer to life. Bui Nhu Lai’s creative journey and contributions to the Vietnamese stage and cinema industry from his student days to his work at the Youth Theatre and now at the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema have contributed significantly to the development of Vietnamese stage and cinema, promoting Vietnamese culture and art to the world, and inspiring today’s generation of young artists. He has been recognized by audiences for many of his roles and through the plays he has directed. Meritorious Artist Bui Nhu Lai was honored to receive the Third Class Labor Medal. He has also received many prestigious awards for his contributions and creativity.
Bui Nhu Lai, since he was a student majoring in Dramatic Acting in Film and Television at the Faculty of Theater, Hanoi Academy of Theater and Cinema, has been passionate about acting. Not stopping there, he continued to study and work in the arts to become a stage director with many famous plays that left an impression on the audience such as: “Rebirth”; “Edip is the King”; “To the Other Shore”; “Passing Through Stormy Days”… Recently, he has proven his creativity, talent, and passion for acting in the sphere of television series. Bui Nhu Lai is also recognized by his colleagues and generations of artists as an important contributor to shaping the appearance of contemporary Vietnamese theater, joining the flow of world theater art.
Assoc. Prof Dr. Pham Quynh Phuong holds a PhD in Anthropology from Australia and is currently Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Industries and Heritage, School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University. With three decades of research and teaching experience, she has established herself as a scholar in the fields of anthropology, heritage studies and cultural studies. Her academic contributions span across popular religions, gender, ethnic minorities, social movements, and the cultural and creative industries in Vietnam. In her role as Dean, she is leading the development of pioneering training programs in cultural and creative industries, while also bridging research directions on heritage and the development of the cultural industries.
Dr. Sheng-Ju Chan is a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Institute of Education and Vice President of National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan. He previously served as Director of the Quality Assurance Office at the Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT). Dr. Chan is currently President of the Taiwan Higher Education Society and has also served as President of the Chinese Taipei Comparative Education Society.
His research interests include higher education policy, comparative education, and higher education management. He has published extensively in the fields of higher education and international development education, with a particular focus on East Asia. Internationally, Professor Chan serves as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Educational Development, is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Higher Education Research and Development, and is Co-Editor of the Higher Education in Asia book series published by Springer.
Pierre Daum is a French journalist and the author of several books on France’s colonial past. His book Immigrés de force: Les Travailleurs indochinois en France (Actes Sud, 2009) brings to light an episode entirely forgotten in French history: in September 1939, the French government forcibly recruited 20,000 Vietnamese peasants and sent them to work in mainland France’s munitions factories. Seventy years later, he traveled across Vietnam to collect the testimonies of the last surviving witnesses. Further books on the same subject followed, as well as films, an exhibition, and a graphic novel. He is currently working on a major project—a book, exhibition, film, and memorial—focused on the “Indochinese workers” sent to Dordogne between 1940 and 1948.
As a journalist, Daum is a regular contributor to Le Monde diplomatique.
Thao Vu (Vũ Thảo), founder of Kilomet109, is a designer, artist and eco-entrepreneur with international recognition. Thao is known for her knowledge, expertise, creativity and a great sense of humility and responsibility in her decades-long journey of working together with various communities in Vietnam and abroad to learn about, revitalize, and (re)create traditional materials and material-making techniques. Thao’s vision and dedication have made her a leader among the pioneering group of new-age designers who have been spearheading Vietnam as an emerging hub of the fashion world.
Dr. John O’Regan is Professor of Critical Applied Linguistics and Vice-Dean (International) at UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK. He is also Deputy Director of the International Centre for Intercultural Studies (ICIS) and the Programme Director of the MA Intercultural Communication. In his research John specialises in English as a global language, intercultural communication and critical discourse analysis, and has wide interests in political economy, critical social theory and international history.
John was Co-Chair of the International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC) (2004-8) and a member of the IALIC Board (2000-16).
He also edited the association journal Language and Intercultural Communication from 2008-15. John has published more than 75 research papers as well as four books: Travelling Languages: Culture, Communication and Translation in a Mobile World (O’Regan, Wilkinson & Robinson, 2014), Intercultural Dialogue: Questions of Research, Theory and Practice (Holmes, Dooly & O’Regan, 2016), Education and the Discourse of Global Neoliberalism (Gray, O’Regan & Wallace, 2021), and Global English and Political Economy (O’Regan, 2021).
Dr. Tran Thi An is an Associate Professor. She gained her PhD in Folklore Studies and worked for the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) for 29 years, known as Head of Folklore Division in Institute of Literature (an institute under VASS), Director of Scientific Management Department of VASS.
Tran has been developing research interest in Vietnamese culture, folklore, and Vietnamese public policy. Her current focus is on Vietnam’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage in contemporary contexts. She is currently teaching at the Faculty of Cultural Industries and Heritage Studies, School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. She is also the President of the Hanoi Folklore Association.
Tran is an expert in folklore and culture studies. She has done extensive research on Vietnamese culture and published in articles and books in Vietnamese, as well as presented in many international conferences in Asian Studies. Her signature book is Characteristics of Folk Legends and Documentation of Vietnamese Folk Legends (Vietnam Social Sciences Publishing House, 2014), which was awarded the second prize by Vietnam Association of Folk Arts since its initial version in 2000 and another prize by Vietnam Publishers Association in 2015. She is the Editor-in-chief of the Collections on Vietnamese Legends, Folk Songs of Vietnam’s Ethnic Minorities and has a chapter in the book Vietnam at the Vanguard: New Perspectives Across Time, Space, and Community (Springer, 2021).
Finally, she also has published numerous journal articles.
Dr. Vu Minh Hoang is a Faculty Member in History and Vietnam Studies at Fulbright University Vietnam. He is a diplomatic historian of 20th-century Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific, studying national and regional security, economics, interests and identity formation, and genocide. He obtained his PhD in History from Cornell University, and was a Visiting Research Associate at the Weatherhead East Asian Studies Institute and Adjunct Professor in History at Columbia University.
Dr. Stan BH Tan-Tangbau is a Vietnamologist. He has carried out extensive research in Vietnam since 1997 about agrarian change in the Mekong Delta, coffee pioneer fronts in the Vietnamese uplands, frontier and state formation in the Central Highlands, historical-geography of the transborder railway from Hải Phòng to Kunming in Yunnan (China), and jazz in Vietnam. His book, Chơi Jazz ở Việt Nam (OmegaPlus) won a Vietnam National Book Prize in 2023, while the original English edition, Playing Jazz in Socialist Vietnam (University Press of the Mississippi) came in second for the EuroSEAS 2022 Humanities Book Prize. Between 2009 and 2018, Stan founded and directed Kachin Life Stories, a public digital anthropology project he designed for the Kachin people originating from Myanmar, China, and India. Stan received a Japan Society for Promotion of Science multi-year (2013-2016) KAKENHI Grants-in-Aid Young Scientist “A” Award for the project.
Dr. Vu Tran-Thanh (Trần Thanh Vũ), an upcoming well-regarded scholar in English language education and teacher education, is also an experienced teacher and teacher educator with many years of teaching and teacher training in Vietnam. Vu is the founder and administrator of the TESOL Research Collaboration Network, a professional learning community for Vietnamese teacher-researchers. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Teacher Educator Interest Section of TESOL International Association as newsletter editor. He has been appointed to the Editorial Board of the London Review of Education journal, beginning in 2025. As a researcher, Vu has presented at various international conferences and has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in prestigious outlets. His research interests include various areas of language teacher education, such as teacher research, identity, agency, and professional development, as well as queer theory in language education, peacebuilding, and CALL. Alongside his abovementioned significant roles and responsibilities, Vu Tran-Thanh has been pursuing his PhD as an ESRC-funded doctoral researcher at the School of Education, Durham University, UK.
Paul Christiansen is a Saigon-based poet, writer, and editor. After receiving his BA from St. Olaf College and an MFA from Florida International University, he received a Fulbright Fellowship to Vietnam. He is the author of the essay collection Beneath Saigon’s Chò Nâu (Phương Nam Publishing House) and co-translator of “Light Out” and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930–1954 (Northern Illinois University Press) and Dạ Ngân’s “Người yêu” (forthcoming, University of Texas Tech), amongst other works. As Content Director for Saigoneer, a bilingual arts and culture publication, he explores Vietnam’s literature, nature and arts for a diverse audience.