He spent the 1980s and 1990s in Hanoi and Canberra advising on development practice for national aid agencies and NGOs operating in South-East Asia. Accepting a Fellowship in 1999 at the
National University of Singapore, Fforde subsequently held a number of academic posts in
Melbourne, Australia. He is currently among the most widely cited academics writing on contemporary Vietnam, as well as the author of textbooks and critical works on the theory and methodology of development practice. He has also published on the issue of servicisation in developing countries. He is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne and adjunct professor at
Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Economic Studies. ==Personal life==