Mr. Nguyen is deputy director-general of the Institute for South East Asia/East Sea Studies at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. His most recent research focuses on the prospect of the changing regional order, the regional security architecture, and the geo-political transformation of East Asia and South East Asia. He was a member of the Vietnam delegation that drafted the elements of the COC. Prior to serving in his current designation at the Diplomatic Academy, Mr. Nguyen was a full time diplomat, serving as the director of the political affairs division in the ASEAN department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also a member of the Vietnam High Level Task Force delegation negotiating the ASEAN Charter.