Vietnam Hits Record 8 Billionaires on Forbes Global List, With Three From the Vuong Family
Forbes releases its 2026 Global Billionaires List, and Vietnam breaks its record with 8 dollar billionaires. Pham Nhat Vuong holds the top spot at $27.7 billion, with his wife Pham Thu Huong and sister-in-law Pham Thuy Hang debuting on the list.
One Man in 2013
In 2013, Phạm Nhật Vượng became the first Vietnamese person to appear on the Forbes World's Billionaires list. His fortune, built on Vingroup's real estate business, was about USD 1.5 billion.
Thirteen years later, the 2026 Forbes list features eight Vietnamese names, a new record.
The Full List
Phạm Nhật Vượng, founder and chairman of Vingroup, leads with an estimated USD 27.7 billion, ranked 93rd globally. His wealth surged over the past year, largely thanks to a rebound in VinFast's market valuation.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, chairwoman of Vietjet Air and head of Sovico Group, comes in at about USD 4.2 billion, ranked 1,011th. She remains Southeast Asia's first self-made female billionaire.
Phạm Thu Hương, vice chairwoman of Vingroup and Vượng's wife, makes her debut at about USD 3 billion, ranked 1,406th. She also chairs GSM, the parent company of electric taxi and ride-hailing platform Xanh SM.
Trần Đình Long, chairman of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group, holds about USD 2.9 billion, ranked 1,440th. Hoa Phat is Vietnam's largest steel producer.
Hồ Hùng Anh, chairman of Techcombank, has about USD 2.5 billion, ranked 1,676th.
Phạm Thúy Hằng, vice chairwoman of Vingroup and Vượng's sister-in-law, also debuts this year at about USD 2.1 billion, ranked 1,982nd.
Ngô Chí Dũng, chairman of VPBank, enters at about USD 1.2 billion, ranked 3,017th. He is the only newcomer this year from outside the Vingroup orbit.
Nguyễn Đăng Quang, chairman of Masan Group, also holds about USD 1.2 billion, ranked 3,017th.
Heavy Vingroup Presence
Three of the eight billionaires come from the Vingroup system: Vượng himself, his wife Phạm Thu Hương, and his sister-in-law Phạm Thúy Hằng. Their combined fortune exceeds USD 32.8 billion, making up the bulk of Vietnam's billionaire wealth.
Both women have long served in Vingroup's senior management, but their shareholdings were previously counted under Vượng's name. Forbes changed its methodology this year, listing them separately. That explains how three Vingroup figures appeared at once.
Beyond Vingroup, Phạm Thu Hương runs GSM, the operator behind Xanh SM, Vietnam's largest electric taxi and ride-hailing platform. GSM is currently preparing for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Who Dropped Off
Trần Bá Dương, chairman of auto giant THACO, last appeared on the Forbes list in 2024 and has now been absent for two consecutive years. THACO is Vietnam's largest car assembler and distributor, and his net worth has been hovering around the USD 1 billion threshold. Stock fluctuations have kept him just below.
A Snapshot of Vietnam's Private Economy
From one to eight, the list tracks the rise of Vietnam's private sector over the past decade.
In 2013, Vượng stood alone. The count peaked at seven in 2022, dipped to five as stock markets wobbled, then hit a new high of eight in 2026.
The industry mix has widened too. In the early years, it was all real estate and banking. Now the list includes electric vehicles, aviation, steel, consumer goods, and digital banking.
But three seats held by the Vingroup family also show that wealth in Vietnam remains highly concentrated. The fortunes of a single conglomerate can reshape the entire billionaire list.
