Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Vietjet Air
37% of Vietnamese billionaires are women.
According to Forbes' real-time billionaire rankings, Vietnam has three more individuals recognized as having assets exceeding $1 billion: Ms. Pham Thu Huong, Ms. Pham Thuy Hang, and Mr. Ngo Chi Dung. Among them, Ms. Pham Thu Huong and Ms. Pham Thuy Hang both hold management positions at Vingroup .
Thus, Vietnam currently has 8 USD billionaires. The richest person in Vietnam remains Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong, with a net worth of $21.1 billion, a decrease of more than $7 billion compared to the end of last year.
In the power structure of Vietnam's private economy , the increasingly prominent presence of female USD billionaires is no longer an isolated phenomenon. Notably, behind these multi-billion USD fortunes lie very different paths for women to enter the center of capital power – where shareholding, cash flow, and decision-making power are key factors.
Source: Forbes.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao: Self-made billionaire and the leadership qualities of a true leader.
Ms. Nguyen Phuong Thao is the first Vietnamese female billionaire to be recognized internationally, not for inheriting wealth, but for building and directly leading her own businesses. From business ventures abroad at a young age, she returned to Vietnam and chose challenging fields: finance and banking, and especially aviation.
Vietjet Air is not just a low-cost airline, but a strategic achievement of a female entrepreneur who dared to break the monopoly, dared to enter a capital-intensive industry with thin profit margins and high risks – an industry long considered a "man's playground".
For Ms. Phuong Thao, power doesn't come from passive ownership, but from executive power, decision-making ability, and leadership of the organization. She directly shapes strategy, accepts controversy, confronts crises, and is accountable to the market.
Therefore, Ms. Thao's path embodies the spirit of female entrepreneurship in the era of integration: independent, decisive, and unafraid of public pressure. She is also a role model for women who have moved beyond the role of "asset keeper" to become creators of new assets.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao at the Government's Standing Committee meeting with commercial banks - February 2025. Photo: VNP
Economic power
Among Vietnamese female billionaires today, their power is demonstrated through their real economic influence, established by their shareholding percentage, their ability to control cash flow, and their level of influence on the operational structure of leading businesses in the market.
To wield economic power in large-capitalization companies, each individual takes their own approach and method. For Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, it's a more adventurous, direct, and distinctly personalized path. Her power is tied to her entrepreneurial spirit, her quick and decisive decisions, and her willingness to accept high risks, particularly in the finance, aviation, and consumer sectors. In this model, shares represent not only ownership but also a personal commitment to the success or failure of the business, where leadership and responsibility are aligned.
Although their approaches differ, they converge on one point: women are no longer in a supporting or symbolic position within the economic structure, but directly hold the "key points" of capital power. They are present where resource allocation decisions are made, where money flows are directed, and where markets react most strongly.
In a context where the private sector is increasingly becoming a pillar of economic growth, the rise of female billionaires is no longer just an inspiring personal story, but a sign of a profound shift in the structure of economic power. This shift is from formal power to ownership power, from a participatory role to a shaping role – where women are not on the sidelines, but are at the center of the process of creating and distributing value.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/hai-nu-ty-phu-viet-nam-va-hai-con-duong-cham-toi-quyen-luc-von-238260203162102172.htm
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