Hang (Flora) Tran

I am a PhD Candidate in Marketing at the University of Leicester Business School, where I also teach as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and hold an Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. This is my second PhD; the first, in International Business and Trade, was completed at Keimyung University in South Korea.

My current research examines how immersive technologies (VR and AR) can support conservation and sustainable tourism. Working with national parks and NGOs in Vietnam, I study whether a virtual wildlife experience before a visit shifts how people feel about wildlife and how they behave towards it. My broader work covers digital communication and consumer behaviour.

Beyond the classroom and the fieldwork, I try to bring conservation into public life. In Leicester, I organise events that bring together professionals, University teams, and people outside academia to talk about biodiversity. Earlier, in South Korea, I coordinated a community exchange project in Incheon and completed an NGO internship with Citi Bank and Kyunghee University, helping run exhibitions at the Heeum Museum of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery (희움일본군'위안부'역사관) in Daegu.

I grew up in Ho Chi Minh City and have lived and worked across Vietnam, South Korea, and the UK. I speak Vietnamese, English, Korean, and Chinese — and the questions that interest me most tend to come from moving between those worlds.