I am an International Relations researcher specialising in geopolitical security and currently conducting doctoral research on ASEAN regionalism at UNSW. I was also part of the project "Eangage - Think Next, Act Next", led by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in collaboration with Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and Asian Vision Institute of Cambodia and co-authored two papers titled "The Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia: A delicate balance...view more
I am an International Relations researcher specialising in geopolitical security and currently conducting doctoral research on ASEAN regionalism at UNSW. I was also part of the project "Eangage - Think Next, Act Next", led by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in collaboration with Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and Asian Vision Institute of Cambodia and co-authored two papers titled "The Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia: A delicate balance between internal and external security" and "The EU and ASEAN in the context of major powers' rivalry: Engaging with intergovernmental regional organisations to hedge".
Prior to UNSW, I was with Vietnam’s State Audit Office, a constitutional agency reviewing national budget and economic activities. I was responsible for the Office’s cooperation with international bodies like the EU, International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutes (INTOSAI), and Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutes (ASOSAI), focusing on policy and best-practices exchange.
Before that, I was at South Korea’s national development institute researching Chinese government leadership and its effects on domestic and international policies. I hold a bachelor in International Relations from Bath University in the UK and a Master in Global Politics from the London School of Economics.
My Qualifications
B.Sc. Politics and International Relations (University of Bath, UK)
M.Sc. Global Politics (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK)
My Research Activities
PhD project
Title: Politics of domestic legitimacy enhancement and Southeast Asian states’ strategies of engaging within Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Supervisors: Dr. Alexander Korolev and A/prof. Andrea Benvenuti
This project aims to offer an original explanation and categorisation of the variation on ASEAN engagement strategies pursued by its member states. This project covers case studies in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia.
Conferences
25th Asian Studies Association of Australia Biennial Conference, Perth, 1-4 July 2024
UNSW HDR Conference, Sydney, 28 August 2024
Publications
Abb, P., Tan, J., and Phan, T.H (2023). The Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia: a delicate balance between external and internal security. In: Towards Sustainable Security for Asia and Europe. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Phan, T.H., Estrada, L.G., Mengdavid, T., and Pendrakowska, P. (2023). The EU and ASEAN in the Context of Major Powers’ Rivalry: Engaging with Intergovernmental Regional Organisations to Hedge. In: Towards Sustainable Security for Asia and Europe. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Phan, T. H. (2022). ASEAN is Vietnam’s Platform to Diversify Relationships with Major Powers. Southeast Asia Globe
Pan, G. and Phan, T. H. (2022). The Transformation of the Asymmetry: The Evolution of Philippines’ and Vietnam’s South China Sea policy and the asymmetry of attention. The Pacific Review
Nguyen, D. D., Phan, T. H., and Mai, T. C. H. (2022). ADBI Development Case Study No. 2022-3 (September): Tackling Unequal Access to Digital Education in Vietnam during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Asian Development Bank Institute
Phan, T. H. (2021). Thinking about China’s Active Engagement in Global Free Trade. The Young Diplomats
Phan, T. H. (2016). Comparative analysis of territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam: Award-winning Papers Collection
My Teaching
I tutored:
ARTS 2816: The Global Politics of Inequality, discussing the variety of global political economy approaches to explain how inequality is generated and maintained
ARTS 2815: Politics and Security of the Indo Pacific, introducing the significant political, strategic and economic issues that the region poses and the foreign policies of major global and regional actors, including India, China, the US, Japan, and Australia.
