Vietnam's Richest Man's Wife Joins World's Top 1,000 Wealthiest

Pham Thu Huong, wife of Southeast Asia’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, has entered the world’s top 1,000 wealthiest people for the first time as her fortune climbed to US$4.5 billion. Huong, currently the second-richest woman in Southeast Asia, ranked 963rd on Forbes’ real-time billionaire list on Friday. The 57-year-old Vingroup deputy chairwoman has benefited from a rally in shares of the conglomerate, which is chaired by her husband. Her net worth rose by nearly US$200 million, or 4.67%, on Friday alone as Vingroup shares hit a record VND256,000 (US$9.82) each. Forbes first included Huong in its annual billionaire ranking in February, when she placed 1,406th globally. She has since risen 443 positions. In Southeast Asia, Huong trails only Marina Budiman of Indonesia, co-founder and president commissioner of data center operator DCI Indonesia, whose net worth stands at around US$6 billion. Vingroup shares have gained 51% since the start of the year, helping Vuong’s fortune rise 36% to US$39.3 billion. He reached 54th place on Forbes’ global ranking for the first time on Friday. Vuong was also among the world’s five biggest wealth gainers that day after his net worth increased by US$1.6 billion. Other major gainers were Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of social media giant Meta, who enjoyed a $2.1-billion gain. Michael Dell, chairman of laptop producer Dell Technologies, recorded a $2.4-billion wealth boost. In Vietnam, Vuong and Huong now have a combined net worth of $43.8 billion, accounting for 76% of the total net worth of the country’s eight billionaires. Huong’s sister Pham Thuy Hang, also a deputy chairwoman of Vingroup, has a net worth of $3.2 billion, ranking fourth in Vietnam. Vingroup is the biggest listed company in Vietnam with businesses spanning real estate, auto manufacturing, ride-hailing services, high-speed rail and satellite development, among others. The company’s revenue jumped 72% year-on-year to VND221.92 trillion in the first six months, while post-tax profit surged five-fold to VND20.9 trillion. Source: VnExpress International