ABOUT

I am a Faculty Member in Literature at Fulbright University Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. I hold a PhD from Cornell University, and my research interests revolve around language, intellectual history and ecocriticism, predominantly in 20th century Vietnam. One of my current projects involves a book manuscript called, Language as form: the politics and poetics of writing in French in 20th Century Vietnam. It offers an intellectual history of different ideas of freedom in Vietnam and looks at social and political change through the expression of French and Vietnamese. Additionally, given my privileged location of Southeast Asia, I am increasingly interested in the ecocritical questions that underly Vietnamese literature which situate Vietnam in relation to other tropics and the rest of the world.

I’ve previously held a postdoctoral research position at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, and have taught at Hamilton College, University of Pennsylvania, and Paris VIII Saint Denis-Vincennes. I hold an M.A. from the Institute of French Studies, New York University and a B.A. in French and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.

I was born in Lâm Đồng, Vietnam, and came to the United States with my family through the Humanitarian Operation Program. I still call California home.

ACTIVITY

Listen to the latest episode of Nam Phong Dialogues on Spotify and Apple.

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I am Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Amsterdam hosted by the Decolonial Futures Research Priority Area, Summer 2025.

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Read my latest co-translation in the Journal of Vietnamese Studies Special Issue for the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War here.

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GET IN TOUCH

Don’t hesitate to write for any inquiries about materials, research or collaborations.

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