Top 13 Most Powerful and Wealthiest Women in Vietnam

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of BRG Group, Permanent Vice Chairwoman of SeABank's Board of Directors, is one of the most influential businesswomen in Vietnam. This 'female general' has steered BRG Group from import-export activities to investments in banking, hotels, golf courses, and various other sectors.

Ms. Nga has consistently appeared on Forbes Vietnam's list of influential women. She started her entrepreneurial journey in the early 1990s. By 1993, she and her husband founded BRG Group, a conglomerate involved in diverse sectors and one of the largest private enterprises in Vietnam. Ms. Nga is also renowned for her M&A deals, including the privatization of state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, and joint ventures.

Under her leadership, BRG Group has been a pioneer in several fields such as golf, hotels, and real estate. Additionally, she has made extensive investments in finance, banking, import-export, retail, tourism, and agriculture.

Ms. Nga is seen as an inspiration for future generations of female entrepreneurs, proving that women can confidently build businesses, overcome challenges, and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

In 2006, after divesting from Techcombank, Ms. Nga invested in and became Chairwoman of SeABank's Board of Directors. In early 2019, she stepped down as Chairwoman of SeABank's Board of Directors, assuming the position of Permanent Vice Chairwoman of SeABank's Board of Directors since April 12, 2019. In addition to SeABank, Ms. Nga is also involved in the Board of Directors/Executive Boards of various companies within the BRG Group ecosystem.

Ms. Mai Kieu Lien was born on September 1, 1953, in Paris, France, into a Vietnamese intellectual family where both her parents were doctors. In 1957, her family returned to Vietnam to contribute to the country.

Ms. Mai Kieu Lien studied at Trung Vuong School in Hanoi, during the turbulent years of war, she had to evacuate to rural areas and study amidst the Red River delta. After graduating from high school, she went to the Soviet Union to study dairy and meat processing in Moscow.

Upon returning to Vietnam, at the age of 31, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien was appointed as the Director of Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk). When she took over the leadership of this enterprise in 2003, she remarkably brought the Vinamilk brand closer to consumers in Vietnam and 23 other countries.

With her wholehearted dedication and exceptional leadership in business, Ms. Lien was voted one of the outstanding CEOs in Asia in investor relations. Not only is she among the most successful female entrepreneurs in Vietnam, but she has also been honored by Forbes Magazine four times in a row as one of the top 50 most powerful women in Asia.

Cao Thi Ngoc Dung (born on October 8, 1957, originally from Quang Ngai province) is a Vietnamese businesswoman. She currently serves as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors cum General Director of Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ). In 2017, Cao Thi Ngoc Dung had assets worth 663 billion VND, ranking as the 8th richest woman in Vietnam.

She is a founding shareholder (representative of PNJ) and was the first chairwoman of Dong A Bank during the 1992-1997 period when Dong A Bank was established on July 1, 1992.

In 2017, Cao Thi Ngoc Dung was the 8th richest woman in Vietnam with assets worth 663 billion VND. She is currently among the Top 100 richest individuals in the Vietnamese stock market with assets worth 1,000 billion VND. In 2016, she was featured in Forbes Asia's list of the 50 most powerful businesswomen.

Under Dung's leadership, the PNJ brand has achieved remarkable success both domestically and internationally. In the jewelry industry, she is known as the 'Fashion Gold Queen'.

Businesswoman Thai Huong is regarded as one of the powerful figures in Vietnam's financial sector. For two consecutive years, 2015 and 2016, Ms. Thai Huong made it to the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Asia list as voted by Forbes.

Ms. Thai Huong was born in 1958 in Nghe An province. She served as a financial commodity officer in Hai Phong from 1982 to 1985. Later, she worked as an accountant at the Nghệ An Construction Materials Company. In 1989, she founded the Hương Hà Construction Materials Company.

At the end of 2017, after nearly 10 years with TH True Milk, Ms. Thai Huong stepped down as the chairwoman of the board of directors of the corporation to assume the position of General Director of BacABank. However, according to her sharing, she will continue to serve as an advisor to TH True Milk in the future.

Ms. Pham Thu Huong is among the wealthiest individuals in Vietnam, although she keeps a low profile regarding her personal life. Known for co-founding Vingroup, the largest private economic conglomerate in Vietnam, with her husband from their entrepreneurial beginnings in Eastern Europe.

Born on June 14, 1969, in Hanoi into a wealthy and academically inclined family, female entrepreneur Pham Thu Huong holds a Bachelor's degree in International Law from Ukraine, similar to her billionaire husband. During her time studying abroad, Ms. Huong met Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong through student groups in Moscow, where they fell in love and married. After graduating, Ms. Huong did not return home but stayed in Moscow with her husband to build their careers.

Currently, she holds the position of Vice Chairman of VinGroup. As of January 20, 2022, Ms. Huong owns nearly 170 million VIC shares with a total asset value of 15,940 billion VND, ranking 10th on the list of the wealthiest individuals on the Vietnam stock exchange.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh born on December 25, 1952, in Trang Bang - Tay Ninh, currently resides and works in Ho Chi Minh City. Entrepreneur Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh is currently the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of REE Electrical Machinery Company. After graduating with a degree in electrical mechanics from Karl-Marx-Stadt University (Germany), since 1982, Ms. Mai Thanh has joined REE as an engineer, and then she has become the company's leader since 1985.

“She is an excellent employee, never satisfied with current achievements but always striving. She works as hard as her male colleagues. And I don't care whether she is the daughter of a lieutenant general or not when deciding to entrust her with leadership!” - Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, Former Director of the Refrigeration Equipment Joint Venture (the predecessor of REE), who promoted Ms. Mai Thanh to the highest leadership position.

Since then, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh has helped REE escape hardship thanks to the Reetech air conditioner brand. This is also the first company listed on the Vietnam stock exchange in 2000.

Entrepreneur Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh was honored by Forbes and ranked 28th on the list of the 48 most powerful businesswomen in Asia (ASIA Power Businesswomen) in 2014.

Ms. Nguyen Hoang Yen currently ranks 14th on the Vietnam stock exchange with assets of nearly 4,000 billion dong thanks to owning 42,415,234 shares of Masan Group.

According to many sources, Ms. Yen was born in 1963 and is the wife of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Masan Group (MSM), Mr. Nguyen Dang Quang. She was a lecturer at the Prosecutor's College from 1987 to 1990. Regarding her educational background, she graduated from the University of Foreign Languages, specializing in Russian.

Ms. Yen and Mr. Quang started their business in Eastern Europe and returned to Vietnam to establish and operate the billion-dollar Masan conglomerate. And it is also thanks to owning over 40 million shares of this conglomerate that both she and her husband have enormous assets.

She is also known as the wife of Masan's owner, Mr. Nguyen Dang Quang, and the couple are among the top 5 richest tycoons in Vietnam. She is also a key member of the management board of this diversified conglomerate.

Ms. Pham Thuy Hang was born on September 10, 1974, in Hanoi. She has two older sisters, Pham Thu Huong - the wife of Pham Nhat Vuong, and Pham Ngoc Linh. Her husband is Nguyen Quoc Thanh, currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of VIC Group.

As a child, Pham Thuy Hang received a full education and graduated with a bachelor's degree in foreign languages. In the early years when Pham Thu Huong and Pham Nhat Vuong returned to Vietnam, she stood by her sister and brother-in-law in the initial days of building the conglomerate. It was thanks to this support that VIC Group made rapid strides.

Pham Thuy Hang, along with Pham Thu Huong, has made significant contributions to VinGroup (stock code VIC). Ms. Hang currently holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of VinGroup. Behind the success of VinGroup in general and the success of Pham Nhat Vuong in particular, the contribution of Ms. Pham Thuy Hang, a female leader, cannot be denied.

By the end of 2019, Pham Thuy Hang ranked 7th among the 10 richest people with assets worth 11,601 billion. Pham Thuy Hang's husband holds 0.4% of the shares worth 1,225.35 billion dong. If we combine the assets of her husband, the total assets of Mr. and Mrs. Pham Thuy Hang amount to 22,414 billion dong, accounting for 7.3% of VinGroup's shares. Both she and her husband are members of the Board of Directors of the conglomerate.

Entrepreneur Nguyen Bach Diep was born in 1972 and is currently the Chairwoman of FPT Retail's Board of Directors. She graduated from Ho Chi Minh City Open University with a degree in Business Administration. Immediately after graduating from university, Ms. Bach Diep started working at FPT, a leading technology corporation and the parent company of FPT Retail since 1997.

Since joining FPT Retail over 8 years ago and becoming Chairwoman in 2017, along with her team, Ms. Bach Diep has transformed FPT Retail from 17 stores into the second largest retail chain in Vietnam with over 630 stores spanning from North to South.

In 2019, Ms. Nguyen Bach Diep was honored in Forbes Vietnam's list of the 50 most influential women in Vietnam. In September 2020, Ms. Bach Diep was ranked among the top 25 most powerful businesswomen in Asia.

Ms. Truong Thi Le Khanh was born in 1961 in An Giang, the youngest of four siblings. After graduating, she worked for import-export companies and commercial enterprises. She held various key positions from accountant to assistant and deputy director...

On December 27, 1997, she founded the Vinh Hoan Private Enterprise in Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province. Its main mission was to prioritize the import and export of seafood products such as basa fillet, tra fish, and value-added products from tra and basa fish. Initially, the company operated through export processing. Two years later, VHC rented a production workshop in Cao Lanh, Dong Thap, to establish its own processing facility. Leveraging her existing relationships and deep understanding of foreign trade activities, Truong Thi Le Khanh quickly found a market for her company's products overseas. By 2003, Vinh Hoan had become the leading exporter of tra fish in Vietnam. In 2007, Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company was officially listed on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE: VHC).

From 2006 to 2008, under the leadership of Truong Thi Le Khanh, Vinh Hoan became the third-largest exporter of tra and basa fish, rising to second place in 2009, and has been the leading enterprise since 2010. In 2011, Vinh Hoan achieved a total export turnover of over 154 million USD, with profits increasing by 80% and net revenue by 36%. The company's main market is the United States.

Not content to stop there, Ms. Khanh established a series of subsidiary companies. With the aim of diversifying the company's business into various related products in the same industry and undertaking numerous projects in processing, breeding tra fish, rice, and collagen.

In May 2016, Ms. Khanh transferred the position of CEO of Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company to Ms. Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam. In 2019, Vinh Hoan achieved outstanding success in its collagen business segment, with sales doubling compared to the previous year, reaching over 550 billion VND. Bringing in post-tax profits that exceeded the set target of 180 billion VND. In 2020, Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company continued to upgrade and expand its collagen factories, increasing productivity by an additional 75%, reaching 3,500 tons of finished products.

Considered the driving force behind the prosperity of Hau Giang Pharmaceutical Company, Ms. Pham Thi Viet Nga, born in 1951, is one of the most courageous and successful 'female generals' in Vietnam.

With knowledge gained from degrees in pharmacy and economics, in 1988, she became involved with Hau Giang Pharmaceutical Company, transforming the struggling small enterprise into one of Vietnam's leading pharmaceutical companies with nearly 3 trillion VND in annual revenue. Moreover, the reputation of this pharmaceutical company has been able to extend internationally thanks to Ms. Nga's sound and ingenious strategies.

The key to her talented leadership lies in valuing human resources, building a responsible and efficient workforce. Ms. Pham Thi Viet Nga has also been honored by Forbes magazine as one of the most influential businesswomen in Asia.

Ms. Tran Uyen Phuong is the daughter of Mr. Tran Qui Thanh, the founder and Chairman of Tan Hiep Phat Group. Coming from a prestigious business family, from an early age, Tran Uyen Phuong had to learn to be independent and disciplined while enriching her knowledge.

For nearly 20 years on the business path, the Deputy General Director of Tan Hiep Phat Group shared that her life has been arranged to prioritize work and achieve goals.

Amid the economic pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of businesswoman Tran Uyen Phuong becomes even more significant in steering Tan Hiep Phat through challenging times. Ms. Tran Uyen Phuong shared that while male leaders might propose different approaches, as the 'vice general' of Tan Hiep Phat, she thinks quite simply in life, that people want to eat well first. This is the most basic and essential need, and more importantly, they must feel cared for as they go through each working day.