Bui Thi Viet Lam joined the Council as Vietnam Country Representative in February 2023 and has 20 years of experience as a senior professional in media, government relations and policy advocacy. She was previously the Director of Communications and External Affairs at Fulbright University Vietnam, the first independent, not-for-profit university in Vietnam inspired by the American liberal arts model. As a member of the founding team, she represented the University in its work with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City government and other related state agencies. She also served as the spokesperson for Fulbright in working with the press and the public.
Prior to joining Fulbright University, Lam worked for 15 years in media industry. Starting as a political reporter, she became a managing editor for VietNamNet, one of the leading media outlets in the country, at age 26. Lam created Vietnam Week, Vietnam’s first online public affairs forum, through which she provided a platform to leading public intellectuals from Vietnam and around the world so they might discuss and debate important issues.
Lam holds a master’s degree from the McCourt School of Public Policy of Georgetown University, where she studied public policies and management on a Fulbright Scholarship from 2012 – 2014. She lives in Hanoi with two children.