Before joining Fulbright University Vietnam, Dr. Nguyễn Nam was a lecturer of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH), and the Vietnam National University in HCMC. He also worked as a lecturer in pre-modern Vietnamese literature and Vietnamese language at the HCMC University, and taught courses in Vietnamese pre-modern writing systems, including both classical Chinese (read with Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation) and the Vietnamese demotic script Nôm.

After earning his MA (Regional Studies – East Asia) and PhD (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, or EALC) from Harvard, he worked as the manager of the Academic Program of the Harvard-Yenching Institute (HYI). He also served as Nôm Instructor for Independent Studies of Harvard’s EALC. In one of his books, ‘Phiên dịch học lịch sử – văn hóa: Trường hợp Truyền kỳ mạn lục (Historical and Cultural Translation Studies – The Case of Truyền kỳ mạn lục)’,  he examines translation issues regarding textual transmission and reception in particular historical and cultural contexts. He has also conducted his research in East Asian countries, such as Japan and Taiwan. His research interests focus on comparative literature (dealing mainly with East Asian countries), translation studies, and adaptation studies. He is currently an associate of the HYI.