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2025 Netherlands Delegates

Thao Nghiem

Researcher in History and Politics of Religion in Vietnam, University of Groningen, Netherlands

Thao Nghiem is a PhD researcher in History and Religious Studies at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Before his doctoral studies, Thao trained in political science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and studied religion in public life at Yale University, USA. He previously held a teaching position at Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City. His current research focuses on the social history of political secularism in post-colonial Vietnam, with particular emphasis on law and religion, examining how the boundaries of religion were shaped, contested, and negotiated between different levels of state and society. In his work, Thao investigates the interplay between religious governance, communist ideology, and nationalism within the broader landscape of socio-political changes in Southeast Asia. Next to his academic endeavors, Thao is passionate about policy advocacy and community engagement that seek to cultivate dialogue and address disparate forms of exclusion across cultural and religious frontiers.