Accordingly, Thao moved up 11 places compared to last year’s ranking. Her actual net worth as of December 6, 2018, was estimated at US$2.6 billion, much greater than the 2017 figure of US$1.98 billion.
The 48-year-old businesswoman is the co-founder and Chairwoman of Sovico Holdings, President and CEO of Vietjet Air, and Permanent Vice Chairwoman of HDBank. She is also the only self-made female billionaire in Southeast Asia.
In 2017 and 2018, Thao alternatively got Vietjet Air and HDBank listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE). She is currently the second richest on the Vietnamese stock market.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was named the most powerful woman in 2018 by Forbes, followed by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.
Members of the 2018 ranking represent women in six categories - business, technology, finance, media & entertainment, politics & policy, and philanthropy. To determine the rank within each category, as well as overall rank on the list of 100, Forbes applied four metrics: money, media, impact, and spheres of influence.
