Vietnam has 3 billionaires in the Top 1000 richest people in the world

DNHN - With a fortune of $3.1 billion, Vietjet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has just entered the top 1000 richest people in the world, according to the latest update from Forbes.

Recently, Forbes has announced that Ms Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, CEO of Vietjet Air (VJC), has increased her total net worth to 3.1 billion USD, an increase of 200 million USD in just the past few days, most of this increase. came from the positive movement of VJC stock.  

The figure surpassing the 3 billion USD mark has put Thao in the list of 1,000 richest people on the planet. Specifically, it is ranked 988th, up 125 places compared to the beginning of the month.

Mrs Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao was born and raised in a family in Hanoi. At the age of 17, Mrs Thao passed the entrance exam to Hanoi Foreign Trade University and went to study in Eastern Europe. In the international student community, Ms Thao quickly emerged thanks to her excellent academic performance. At the age of 27, she received a doctorate in economic cybernetics, along with two bachelor's degrees in labour economic management and a bachelor's degree in finance and credit.

Recognizing a consumer goods deficit in the Eastern European market at the time, Ms Thao sold everything from electronics, computers, and fax machines to tapes, watches, and agricultural products manufactured in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong (China) to Eastern Europe. Simultaneously, she carried a variety of scarce and necessary market commodities to Vietnam, including fertilizers, iron and steel, and equipment. Ms Thao, who is only 21 years old, has accumulated one million dollars for three years through international trade.

When she returns to Vietnam, Ms Thao maintains a low profile with the media but is quite active in the marketplace. She was instrumental in establishing and operating two private banks, VIB and Techcombank, before investing in HDBank. The most notable is Mrs Thao's establishment of Vietjet Air, which broke Vietnam Airlines' monopoly on the aviation market and enabled many people to fly at a low cost. 

Mrs Thao first entered the billionaire’s list in 2017, identified by Forbes as owning $1.2 billion. By March 2018, Mrs Thao's assets skyrocketed to $3.1 billion but decreased 2 years later.

Besides, Mr Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vingroup (VIC), is still the richest person in Vietnam with a net worth of 6.2 billion USD, an increase of 100 million USD compared to the first day of March. This number is down 1.1 billion USD compared to the statistical list a year ago.

Especially in the past few days, the net worth of Mr Tran Dinh Long, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoa Phat Group (HPG), has increased by more than 200 million USD, bringing this businessman's total assets to 3.4. billion USD and also for the first time, this businessman entered the top 1000 richest people in the world and is currently ranked 892nd, and also the second richest person in Vietnam.

According to updated data from Forbes, Mr Tran Dinh Long's net worth has increased by 103 million USD in the past 24 hours, bringing the total net worth of Hoa Phat's owner by one third to 3.2 billion. USD. Compared to a year ago, Mr Long's net worth has increased by up to 1 billion USD.

Mr Long is also the Vietnamese billionaire with the strongest net asset growth rate in recent years.

With a 1 billion USD gain in net worth, Mr Long surpassed Mrs Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao to become Vietnam's second-richest person. Simultaneously, this fortune elevated Mr Long to the list of the world's 1,000 wealthiest persons for the first time. The chairman of Hoa Phat Group is now rated 997th on the list of the world's wealthiest individuals. 

According to Forbes, the net worth of USD billionaires is determined by the magazine based on the number of shares held in companies, real estate, cash, valuable investments and minus the amount of debt. Which, the main source of assets of Mr Tran Dinh Long, identified by Forbes, comes from the number of shares this businessman holds in Hoa Phat Group.

Thus, this is the first time that Vietnam has recorded 3 billionaires at the same time joining the group of 1000 richest people on the planet. 

Hai An