Thanh-Cong is a lecturer at Vietnam National University, and assistant to the Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies.

Personally experiencing the detrimental impacts of an unjust economic system on marginalized communities has motivated Thanh-Cong to delve into and seek solutions for the structural issues of global governance and inequality prevalent in developing nations.

Consequently, he made a major shift from International Relations to Public Policy with the support of the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship.

Since 2019, Mr. Thanh-Cong has been a policy consultant, project manager, and trainer to 20+ policy projects, encompassing integrated development planning, smart city development, digital transformation, and green economy.

These contributions have earned him several national and international awards, opportunities to participate in prestigious exchanges, such as Australia-Vietnam Leadership Dialogue and YSEALI Professional Fellows Program, as well as fundings from the US Department of State and NZ MFAT to support his community projects.

His life motto: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”