Biography
I completed my Bachelor’s degree in History as part of the first undergraduate cohort at Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV). In my graduate project, I seek to examine the transnational connection between Vietnamese Buddhism and the global Buddhist world. Specifically, I look at how prominent Vietnamese Buddhist intellectuals and reformers like Mai Tho Truyen, Thich Thien An, Thich Minh Chau, and Thich Nhat Hanh participated in trans-regional networks like the World Fellowship of Buddhists. From there, Vietnamese Buddhists participated and joined force with other Buddhists in Southeast Asia to propagate and strengthen the social capital of Vietnamese Buddhism at home.
The First Buddhist Crisis in 1963 was a turning point for Vietnamese Buddhism, but I argue that looking at it alone will risk bypassing the rich historical context behind the Vietnamese Buddhist Revival Agenda and the impact of the US’s Cold War strategy to mobilize support from religious institutions during the Cold War.
By using this transnational approach, I hope to reveal the political dynamics and nationalist aspiration to which Buddhist movements in Vietnam are understood. I hope my work will encourage original discussions among scholars eager to understand Vietnamese Buddhism, its transregional connections, and its impact on Buddhist political engagement in Southeast Asia.
Education
B.A., (with Honors) Fulbright University Vietnam
Field
Southeast Asian History
Courses Taught as TA
History 201: The Historian’s Craft (The Camera as Historian) – Fall 2026