As Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV) continues to deepen its mission to build a democratic society in Vietnam through independent journalism, research and education, we are proud to announce the appointment of a new Board of Directors. This dedicated group of leaders brings a wealth of experience, passion and strategic insight that will guide our organization into the next chapter of growth and impact.
We are honored to introduce the members of LIV’s Board of Directors for the next 3 years: Vũ Quí Hạo Nhiên, Nguyễn Quốc Tấn Trung, Paul Mooney, Trần Quỳnh-Vi and Trịnh Hữu Long.
Each of these individuals have demonstrated a commitment to democratic values, human rights and press freedom. Together, they will play a critical role in advancing LIV’s vision and ensuring our work remains impactful and sustainable.
Meet the Board:
Paul Mooney is an American freelance journalist with over 30 years of reporting experience across Burma, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. A recipient of 14 journalism awards for his coverage of China, he has held staff positions at Reuters, Newsweek, the Far Eastern Economic Review, the South China Morning Post, and Knight-Ridder Financial News. His work has been featured in leading publications and websites around the world. He has a B.A. degree in East Asian Studies, Manhattanville University, a MIA degree in international relations from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Certificate in East Asian Studies, East Asian Institute, Columbia University.
Vũ Quí Hạo Nhiên is a prolific author of both academic and popular articles in English and Vietnamese. He runs the popular Vu Do Math Youtube channel and is co-host of the Hoi Luan Trong Tuan weekly show on Little Saigon TV. He is a former Managing Editor of Nguoi Viet Daily News and a frequent contributor to the BBC and VOA Vietnamese services as well as to Luat Khoa Tap Chi. Hao-Nhien is a graduate of Purdue University and UCLA School of Law, where he was Comments Editor of the UCLA Law Review, as well as editor of the UCLA Women’s Law Journal. He is currently a Math professor.
Trần Quỳnh-Vi was a litigation lawyer in Menlo Park and San Jose, California before becoming a democracy advocate and journalist in 2015. Apart from being a member of LIV’s board, she is LIV’s Taiwan Office Director and the Managing Editor of The Vietnamese Magazine. She specializes in Vietnam’s freedom of expression and criminal justice, and is also a strong advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. In 2021, Vi was accepted as a Democracy and Human Rights Service Fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). She graduated from the master’s program in journalism at Columbia University in 2023.
Nguyễn Quốc Tấn Trung grew up in a farming family in the lower Mekong Delta, an experience that profoundly shaped his research and political perspectives. After completing his law degree in Vietnam, he earned scholarships to pursue his Master’s at the University of Westminster and PhD at the University of Victoria. His scholarship on the law of war, human rights, and international relations has been published in Oxford University Press journals, The Conversation, The Diplomat, Opinio Juris, and other leading publications. He is currently involved in research projects at the Hague Academy of International Law/International Court of Justice and Harvard Law School.
Trịnh Hữu Long is the Interim Executive Director of Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV), as well as being in charge of Luật Khoa Magazine as the Editor-in-Chief. He began his career in 2008 as a legal counsel for some companies in Hà Nội and became a democracy advocate and journalist in 2011. He has worked for various media and human rights organizations such as Tia Sáng magazine (2011-2012), Tuổi Trẻ newspaper (2012), and VOICE (2013-2016). He has a background in law and Asia-Pacific studies, specializing in Vietnam’s constitutional law, freedom of expression, internet freedom, and criminal justice, as well as Taiwan’s democratization. He has written and translated several books in politics and has been an author of the Vietnam Chapter of Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net reports since 2021. He earned a bachelor in law (LL.B) from Hanoi Law University in 2008 and a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies from Taiwan’s National Chengchi University in 2024.