Vietnam Hits a Record 8 Billionaires on the Forbes Global List — Three From One Family
The Forbes 2026 global billionaires list features a record 8 Vietnamese entries. Phạm Nhật Vượng leads at $27.7 billion, with his wife and sister-in-law making their debuts.
Thirteen Years Ago, There Was Just One
In 2013, Phạm Nhật Vượng became the first Vietnamese person ever to appear on the Forbes global billionaires list. Back then, his wealth came from Vingroup's real estate business — about $1.5 billion.
Thirteen years later, the just-released Forbes 2026 list features eight Vietnamese names. A new record.
The Full List
Phạm Nhật Vượng — Vingroup founder and chairman. Net worth about $27.7 billion, ranked 93rd globally. His wealth surged over the past year, driven largely by the recovery in VinFast's market capitalization.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo — Vietjet Air chairman and Sovico Group president. Net worth about $4.2 billion, ranked 1,011th. She remains Southeast Asia's first self-made female billionaire.
Phạm Thu Hương — Vingroup vice chairman and Phạm Nhật Vượng's wife. Net worth about $3 billion, ranked 1,406th. She also chairs GSM, the parent company of electric ride-hailing platform Xanh SM. First time on the list.
Trần Đình Long — Chairman of Hòa Phát Group, Vietnam's largest steel manufacturer. Net worth about $2.9 billion, ranked 1,440th.
Hồ Hùng Anh — Chairman of Techcombank. Net worth about $2.5 billion, ranked 1,676th.
Phạm Thúy Hằng — Vingroup vice chairman and Phạm Nhật Vượng's sister-in-law. Net worth about $2.1 billion, ranked 1,982nd. Also a first-time entry.
Ngô Chí Dũng — Chairman of VPBank. Net worth about $1.2 billion, ranked 3,017th. The only newcomer this year from outside the Vingroup orbit.
Nguyễn Đăng Quang — Chairman of Masan Group. Net worth about $1.2 billion, ranked 3,017th.
The Vingroup Factor
Three of the eight billionaires come from the Vingroup system: Phạm Nhật Vượng himself, his wife Phạm Thu Hương, and her sister Phạm Thúy Hằng. Their combined net worth exceeds $32.8 billion — the vast majority of total wealth held by Vietnamese billionaires on the list.
Phạm Thu Hương and Phạm Thúy Hằng have long been core members of Vingroup's management. Previously, their shareholdings were largely counted under Phạm Nhật Vượng's name. This year, Forbes changed its methodology and listed them separately — which is why all three appear at once.
Beyond her Vingroup role, Phạm Thu Hương leads GSM, the company behind Xanh SM, Vietnam's largest electric taxi and ride-hailing platform. GSM is currently preparing for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Who Fell Off
Trần Bá Dương, chairman of THACO Group — Vietnam's largest automobile assembler and distributor — was on the 2024 list but has now been absent for two consecutive years. His net worth has hovered around the $1 billion threshold, and stock price swings have kept him below the cutoff.
A Snapshot of Vietnam's Private Sector
From one to eight — this list tracks the evolution of Vietnam's private economy over the past decade.
In 2013, only Phạm Nhật Vượng made the cut. The number peaked at seven in 2022, dipped back to five amid stock market volatility, and now hits a new high of eight in 2026.
Industry representation has also broadened. The early lists were dominated by real estate and banking. Now there are entries from EVs, aviation, steel, consumer goods, and digital banking.
But the fact that Vingroup accounts for three of the eight seats also says something about wealth concentration in Vietnam. The fortunes of a single conglomerate can reshape the entire billionaires list.
