With a net worth of US$2.8 billion, businesswoman Phuong Thao makes her fifth appearance on the list.
Before that, businesswoman Phuong Thao was also a prominent name in the top 100 People Transforming Business in Asia in 2020 according to Business Insider. She was also the first and only self-made female billionaire in Southeast Asia. She currently holds the roles of General Director of Vietjet Air and Vice Chairwoman of HDBank.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic having direct impact on the aviation industry, businesswoman Phuong Thao has steered Vietjet to become one of the few airlines to maintain business operations, not lay off employees, and remain profitable, while always being ready for the return of domestic and international airline operations.
She is also in the list of 110 most influential people in Asia in charity work according to Tatler magazine. She especially dedicates charity activities to the programme against COVID-19 and activities of the COVID-19 vaccine fund, and is behind the initiative to handle transaction congestion in the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange.
In addition to Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vietnam has five businessmen who are also on the 2021 Forbes Annual World's Billionaires List, namely Pham Nhat Vuong, Tran Dinh Long, Ho Hung Anh, Tran Ba Duong and Nguyen Dang Quang.
In the context that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the global economy, 2021 is unexpectedly a year marking a record milestone in the number of global dollar billionaires. By the end of July 9, Forbes announced 2,755 people included in the 2021 Annual World's Billionaires List, an increase of 660 people compared to the list in 2020, of which 493 new billionaires appeared on the list for the first time.
