C.V. | Current Project | Publications
Research Interests
Urban design; Urban atmospheres; Architectural practice; Knowledge production; Mobilities; Citizenship
Research Area(s)
Vietnam (Red River Delta, Southeast Region, Ho Chi Minh City)
Profile
I am a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology of Economic Experimentation and a member of the research group “Constructing Urban Futures in Asia” headed by Christoph Brumann. I have a Master’s Degree in International Cultural and Business Studies with a focus on Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Passau.
My research addresses how state-society relations in Vietnam are negotiated through everyday practices in urban contexts, and how transformations of the built environment materially express the changing aspirations of citizens, planners, and officials. I have written on street vendors, artists, and motorbike taxi drivers, among other topics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I focused on public communication practices and how the pandemic was framed to mobilize citizens and gain legitimacy. After 2020, I turned my attention to heritage and how historic sites and buildings are preserved, referenced, or reframed for domestic tourism.
Since 2024, I am exploring Vietnam’s shifting political, legal, and socioeconomic environment through the lens of architectural practice in Ho Chi Minh City. I am interested in how particular urban forms and aesthetics come to dominate, and how discourse shapes what is perceived as legitimate, modern, and innovative design. I examine the urban future as it is envisioned by professionals and architectural students and ask how this vision is linked to individual aspirations and anxieties.
During fieldwork in Ho Chi Minh City between 2024 and 2025, I focused in particular on how design theory and practice intersect within different settings, such as architectural studios and university classrooms. I argue that emerging practices of collaboration and engagement are fostering the development of a new creative community, potentially pointing toward a decentering of knowledge production.