Educated in Viet Nam and Europe, Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh’s first career was in academia at the Sorbonne (Paris). She then served Viet Nam as a diplomat for more than two decades, specializing in global issues (international peace and security, development, environment, governance, and human rights) and multilateral institutions (United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Francophonie, ASEAN). She was the chief architect of Viet Nam’s first hosting of an international Summit, the 7th Francophone Summit in 1997. From 2000 to 2003, she was Ambassador and Head of Mission to the European in Brussels and after being elected to Viet Nam’s 11th National Assembly, served until 2007 as Vice-Chair of its Foreign Affairs Committee with a special focus on North America and Western Europe.