Hi there! I’m Ryan — a writer passionate about uncovering the nuances of our past and present to shape a better future.
Originally from the woodlands of central Massachusetts, I study History, Literature, and Government at Harvard University, using historical research, political science, and journalism to reclaim the narratives — and voices — lost in mainstream press accounts of U.S.-involved wars in Southeast Asia. I also report on racial and ethnic politics for the Associated Press, where I’m completing a six-month internship.
I fight to rid our world of misplaced hate, and I believe that our greatest tools are education and research. On my campus, I’m a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow, The Harvard Crimson’s inaugural Metro Desk Editor, and the Panels Co-Chair of the Harvard-Yale Southeast Asia Studies Graduate Conference. I’ve served as a research assistant for various professors, the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and interned with the White House at its Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
My dream is to one day teach complete histories of our interconnected world as a professor and as an investigative journalist, not in isolation but rooted in the communities that have shaped me.
In my free time, you’ll find me strolling cities and exploring cafés for hours on end, enjoying Michael Barbaro’s voice on The Daily, and teaching myself “Cherry Wine” by Hozier on the guitar.
Feel free to connect with me on X (ryandoannguyen) or email (rdoannguyen@ap.org)!
CURRENT THEMES AND QUESTIONS OF MY WORK
Broadly, how do wars start, how do they sustain themselves, and — importantly — how do we end them? What role does mass media play at each of these stages?
How have journalists influenced public perception and policy responses toward ideas of U.S. empire and expansionism? What narrative strategies have been employed by newspapers in this regard, and are they deliberate or subconscious?
What is “refugeehood,” and how do the experiences of refugees, such as Vietnamese boat people, evolve during the phases of conflict? How do civilian memories contest the legal verdicts of war crime tribunals, such as those for the My Lai Massacre?
What political, socioeconomic, and ethnonationalist factors fueled the scientific development of military technology — napalm, Agent Orange, B-52 bombers, etc. — used in the wars against Vietnam and Laos? Who provided backing?
How has the press perpetuated violence during times of war? What can this teach us about ways to address cultural and generational distrust in media and public policy? What distinctions, if any, exist between reasonable and unjustified distrust?
