Vietnam's billionaire count doubles to 4 on Forbes' rich list

Vietnam has doubled its number of billionaires from last year to four in Forbes magazine's recently released 2018 list of world's richest people.

Pham Nhat Vuong, owner of real estate conglomerate Vingroup and Vietnam's first billionaire, enjoyed his sixth consecutive appearance on the list, being the world's 499th richest person this year. Vuong also retained his position as Vietnam's richest man with a net worth of US$4.3 billion, a US$1.9 billion increase compared to last year.

CEO of budget carrier VietJet Air Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao also had her second appearance on the list as the 766th richest person in the world. Vietnam's richest woman had an estimated net worth of US$3.1 billion, nearly three times her wealth when she made her debut appearance last year with US$1.2 billion.

From left to right: VietJet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, Hoa Phat chairman Tran Dinh Long, Thaco chairman Tran Ba Duong. Photo by VnExpress.
From left to right: VietJet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, Hoa Phat chairman Tran Dinh Long, Thaco chairman Tran Ba Duong. Photo by VnExpress.

Forbes magazine's list this year also sees the debut appearance of two other Vietnamese: Tran Ba Duong, chairman of Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) and Tran Dinh Long, chairman of Hoa Phat Corporation.

Duong, 57, was ranked 1339th in the list with a net worth of US$1.8 billion. He founded Thaco to sell cars in 1997 and the company later started assembling cars for foreign brands such as Kia, Mazda, Peugeot, as well as producing its own buses and trucks. Thaco became the biggest car company in Vietnam with a 32% share in the automobile market by 2016, according to Forbes.

Meanwhile Long, 57, was listed as world's 1756th richest person with a net worth of US$1.3 billion. He founded Hoa Phat as an equipment and parts distributor in Hanoi in 1992. The company is currently considered the biggest steel maker in Vietnam, providing the market with office equipment, steel pipes and construction steel.

Vietnam's fish sauce magnet Nguyen Dang Quang, who was named Vietnam's third billionaire in January by Bloomberg Billionaires Index, didn't make the Forbes list. Bloombeg estimated the chairman and founder of Masan Group's total assets at US$1.2 billion.

Topping the Forbes list this year was Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who became world's first centi-billionaire with a net worth of US$112 billion, up US$39.2 billion from 2017. Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and last year's richest person, dropped to second place with a net worth of US$90 billion.

Gates is followed by Berkshire Hathaway chief Warren Buffett (US$84 billion), CEO and chairman of luxury goods empire LVMH Bernard Arnault (US$72 billion) and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg (US$71 billion) rounded out the top five.

This is the 32nd year Forbes magazine has compiled its list of world's billionaires. This year's list sees a record 2,208 billionaires with a combined wealth of US$9.1 trillion, an 18% increase from last year.

The US still had the most billionaires with 585, followed by China with 476.

VnExpress

Other News

SBV raises short-term capital lending cap to 40%

SBV raises short-term capital lending cap to 40%

The new circular will help credit institutions have more room to provide capital to businesses and investment projects to support high economic growth in the next few years, while increasing flexibility in the SBV’s monetary policy management.

Business confidence in Vietnam rebounds strongly: UOB

Business confidence in Vietnam rebounds strongly: UOB

The study found that 85% of Vietnamese enterprises reported positive business sentiment, a sharp increase from 48% in 2025, when business confidence was weighed down by uncertainties surrounding US tariff policies and related trade developments.

Bac Ninh seeks high-quality foreign investment for sustainable growth

Bac Ninh seeks high-quality foreign investment for sustainable growth

According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Van Thinh, the province aims to maintain stable and sustainable growth, improve the competitiveness of both the economy and local businesses, and make better use of free trade agreements (FTAs) to expand and diversify export markets.

Green building trend flourishes in Ho Chi Minh City's real estate landscape

Green building trend flourishes in Ho Chi Minh City's real estate landscape

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) highlighted the city's dominance in green-certified building floor space in Vietnam, reflecting the rapid expansion of the green building market with 780 completed green buildings encompassing over 18.69 million sq.m by 2025, predominantly certified by EDGE and LEED.

UK supports Vietnam in wind power and green finance development

UK supports Vietnam in wind power and green finance development

The United Kingdom officially announced two new climate cooperation initiatives to support Vietnam in its energy transition and green growth journey. These programs focus on offshore wind power development and the creation of a sustainable green financial ecosystem.

Ample room remains for Vietnam–India logistics cooperation

Ample room remains for Vietnam–India logistics cooperation

The GTTCI expert noted that alongside logistics and integrated warehousing, e-commerce is expected to be a particularly high-growth sector in the coming years. He described it as a multi-billion-dollar market with significant untapped opportunities for cooperation between Vietnam and India.

Exports gain momentum from high-tech growth drivers

Exports gain momentum from high-tech growth drivers

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam’s exports reached 215.66 billion USD in the first five months of 2026, up 19.5% year-on-year. Twenty-six export items generated more than 1 billion USD in revenue each, including seven with turnover exceeding 10 billion USD.

Vietnam–China crossings see spike in ASEAN fresh produce

Vietnam–China crossings see spike in ASEAN fresh produce

Since the start of the summer harvest season, China's two major border gates with Vietnam, Youyi Guan in Pingxiang and Beilun 2 Bridge in Dongxing, have entered their peak period for handling imports of fresh agricultural and seafood products from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Cargo handling operations at Berths 3 and 4 of the Hai Phong International Gateway Port. (Photo: VNA)

AI reshapes logistics, raising bar for workforce skills

According to the Vietnam Logistics Business Association (VLA), the logistics sector will require around 2.2 million workers by 2030, including 1.6 million employees for logistics service providers and nearly 600,000 personnel supporting logistics operations in manufacturing and trading enterprises.

Robust dispute resolution framework key to Vietnam's IFC ambitions

Robust dispute resolution framework key to Vietnam's IFC ambitions

The development strategy for VIFC-HCMC envisions a comprehensive financial ecosystem encompassing green finance, carbon credits, financial technology (fintech), blockchain technology, digital assets, digital banking and other innovative business models. These highly internationalised sectors involve complex cross-border transactions and sophisticated legal structures.