Phan Anh Tu

Associate Professor and Vice Rector · School of Economics · Can Tho University

Phan Anh Tu

My research sits at the intersection of international strategy and entrepreneurship in emerging and transition economies, anchored empirically in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.

It appears in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, European Management Review, and the Asian Academy of Management Journal. I also advise provincial and city governments in the Mekong Delta on logistics, institutional reform, and regional development.

Explore my research by field:

Internationalization & FDI Entrepreneurship Institutional quality
Curriculum vitae Research overview

Leadership and funded research

Institutional leadership

Vice Rector, School of Economics

Associate Professor, Senior Principal Lecturer, and Vice Rector at the School of Economics, Can Tho University; formerly Chair of the Department of International Business.

Role
Vice Rector
Institution
Can Tho University
Since
2022
Full CV →

Funded research

Entrepreneurship in the Mekong Delta

Principal investigator on Ministry of Education and Training grants on entrepreneurship, micro-enterprises, and entrepreneurial intention in the Mekong River Delta.

Role
Principal investigator
Funder
Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam
Region
Mekong Delta
Related research →

Research

My research advances two complementary streams at the intersection of international strategy and entrepreneurship in emerging and transition economies, anchored empirically in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.

Research statement

1 · Internationalization & foreign direct investment

I investigate FDI entry-mode decisions, the push–pull location determinants of foreign direct investment, and the internationalization–firm-performance relationship in emerging and transition economies, drawing on international-strategy theory and empirical evidence across Vietnam, ASEAN, and a range of comparator markets.

2 · Entrepreneurship under weak institutions

A sustained program on bribery, corruption, and informal-economy dynamics, examining which entrepreneurs bribe and what they gain, how institutional quality and national-culture distance shape behavior, and how entrepreneurial intention and value creation emerge under institutional constraint.

Related work addresses institutional quality, national-culture distance and bilateral trade (gravity models), and SME competitiveness and regional linkage in the Mekong Delta.

Both streams are published in journals including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, European Management Review, and the Asian Academy of Management Journal.

Selected publications →

Selected publications

Firms, context, and bribery in a transition economy

Phan, A. T. (2024)

Advances in Pacific Basin Business, Economics and Finance, 12, 287–312. Emerald.

Profit, output market uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from Vietnam

Le, K. N., Huynh, H. T., & Phan, A. T. (2018)

Asian Academy of Management Journal, 23(1), 101–115.

The impact of personal relationships on bribery incidence in transition economies

De Jong, G., Phan, A. T., & van Ees, H. (2015)

European Management Review, 12(1), 7–21.

FT50

Which entrepreneurs bribe and what do they get from it? Exploratory evidence from Vietnam

De Jong, G., Phan, A. T., & van Ees, H. (2012)

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 36(2), 323–345.

The impact of entrepreneurial characteristics on bribery incidence in transition economies

Phan, A. T. (2012)

Asian Academy of Management Journal, 17(2), 155–175.

Teaching

Courses across the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate levels, in English and Vietnamese, with international thesis co-supervision.

Courses

Doctoral

  • Contemporary International Business and Management Theory VN

Master's

  • Advanced International Business EN
  • Foreign Direct Investment and Investment Policy EN / VN
  • Trade Policy and Global Economic Integration VN
  • Research Methodology EN / VN

Undergraduate

  • International Economics EN / VN
  • Entrepreneurship VN
  • International Business; Strategic Management EN

International co-supervision

Co-supervisor, with Dr. B. J. W. Pennink, for MSc theses in International Business and Management at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. I welcome co-supervision arrangements with partner universities.

Curriculum vitae

Education, appointments, visiting positions, funded research, and policy advisory.

Record

Education

  • 2012. Ph.D., International Economics and Business, University of Groningen — Entrepreneurship and Bribery in a Transition Economy: Theory and Firm-Level Evidence in Vietnam. Ubbo Emmius doctoral scholarship.
  • 2007. M.Sc., International Economics and Business, University of Groningen. Cum laude. NUFFIC scholarship.
  • 1999. B.Sc., International Trade, Can Tho University.

Appointments

  • 2022– Associate Professor and Senior Principal Lecturer, School of Economics, Can Tho University.
  • 2022– Vice Rector, School of Economics, Can Tho University.
  • 2013–2021. Chair, Department of International Business, College of Economics, Can Tho University.
  • 2008–2012. Doctoral Researcher, Global Economics and Management, University of Groningen.

Visiting positions

  • 2023. Erasmus+ Visiting Faculty, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
  • 2019. Erasmus+ Visiting Faculty, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
  • 2010. BIARI Fellow, Brown University, United States.

Research grants as principal investigator

  • 2023– Impact of COVID-19 on micro-enterprises in the Mekong Delta. Ministry of Education and Training. Ongoing.
  • 2018–2020. A theoretical model of entrepreneurship and policies to stimulate entrepreneurial activity in the Mekong River Delta. Ministry of Education and Training.
  • 2014. Determinants of entrepreneurial intention among Can Tho University students. Can Tho University.

Convening

  • 2024, 2025. Coordinator, Annual Can Tho City Economic Forum — on logistics-hub development, and on diversifying capital sources for city investment.

Policy advisory

Economic-policy consultant on logistics, institutional economics, regional linkage, and welfare analysis. Commissioned provincial and city research on FDI attraction, SME development, poverty reduction, and agricultural restructuring in Can Tho, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, and Ca Mau.

Contact

I welcome enquiries on doctoral supervision and co-supervision, institutional partnerships, student and faculty exchange, and research collaboration on international business, entrepreneurship, and Mekong Delta development.