Johnny Zhen is a doctoral student in the Department of History at the University of British Columbia. His research interests include the Global Cold War, with particular emphasis on the cultural, social, and diplomatic histories of socialist states in East and Southeast Asia. His current research focuses on the Indochina Wars, exploring Sino-Vietnamese cultural exchanges, propaganda campaigns, and the role of key political figures during the Second Indochina War. Beyond this work, he maintains broader interests in the foreign relations of Canada and the United States with East and Southeast Asia, as well as historical memory and public history.

Selected Conference Presentations:

“Revolution Across Borders: Cultural Diplomacy and Socialist State-Building in Sino-Vietnamese Relations, 1955–1969.” Organized Panel: Constructing Socialism: State-Building and Governance in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 1954-1975. Sponsored by the Vietnam Studies Group. Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference 2026, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

“Framing Ho Chi Minh: Sino-Vietnamese Relations and Personal Diplomacy during the Second Indochina War, 1955-1975.” Poster Presentation. American Historical Association Annual Conference 2026, Chicago, Illinois, USA. https://aha.confex.com/aha/2026/webprogram/Paper42163.html

“Letters from the South: Propaganda and the Making of Sino-Vietnamese Revolutionary Media, 1964-66.” Roundtable: Inverting the Telescope in the History of Sino-Southeast Asia Interactions. Canadian Council for Southeast Asian Studies Conference 2025, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. https://www.ccseas.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ccseas-program_ccease-programme-102025.pdf

“‘Propaganda Diplomacy’ and the Forging of a Sino-Vietnamese Alliance, 1964-1969.” Individual Paper Presentation. Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference 2025, Columbus, Ohio, USA. https://asianstudies.confex.com/asianstudies/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/16270

Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s (CGS M), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Pan Tianshou Scholarships, Institute of Asian Research, UBC