I still remember very well that night - June 23, 2008, when I had just finished my third year in Sociology at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University. I was so uncertain about my future, about where or not should I chase a career in sociology and if yes, where I should begin. For a guy who came from an average family like me, I got no support from my parents in finding a job, let alone acquiring a job in sociology - an area my parents had, and still, have, no idea about. But I got one good spirit: I want to change my life. I don't want to be so 'average' as my name would suggest. And that night brought about one good chance: my professor offered me a job with this question: 'Do you want to work SERIOUSLY?' I said 'I did'. And I was truly serious. I worked my butt off to fulfill whatever the job positions required me to do. I maybe got to where I am today because of this spirit.
Although I have not yet got to the point where I can proudly say to the world that I am a sociologist, I have walked a quite long journey since that night, if no chance had come, I probably could have quitted sociology.
Currently, I am a PhD candidate of Social and Political Sciences HDR Program of Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Australia. My research interests are risks and natural disasters, social capital, social media, and everyday life interaction. My Ph.D. project focuses on how Vietnam’s rural communities construct their understanding of risks from natural disasters and how they use social capital to facilitate their resilience to natural disasters.
Before starting the PhD journey, I worked as a social expert providing consultancy to various international donors such as the World Bank, CARE International, Oxfam, ActionAid, AusAID, the government of Vietnam from central to local levels, and many enterprises.
