10 most successful Vietnamese female entrepreneurs
(VOVWORLD) - Local female entrepreneurs have shown that they are just as capable as men when it comes to overcoming challenges to run a succesful business and reaping the rewards. Here are the nation’s 10 most successful female entrepreneurs.
 1. Billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao Born in 1970 in Hanoi, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao is the CEO and president of VietJet Air. She is known throughout Southeast Asia as a powerful female leader with internationally renowned achievements within the aviation sector. Phuong Thao was both the country’s and Southeast Asia’s first female billionaire, with a fortune estimated to be at US$1.7 billion in 2017, and the figure is expected to rise to US$2.8 billion in 2021, according to Forbes. She is also the richest woman operating on the Vietnamese stock exchange. In 2019, the VietJet CEO was listed in Forbes’ list of the 100 most influential women in the world, marking the third consecutive year that she has been featured. In addition, Bloomberg honoured her by naming Phuong Thao among their top 50 global leaders in 2018. (Photo: Forbes) |
 2. Mai Kieu Lien, CEO of Vinamilk, the largest Vietnamese dairy producer Mai Kieu Lien is one of the most powerful and renowed female enterpreners in the country and throughout the world. CNBC newswire describes Lien as the “Dairy Queen” and the “Vietnamese Margaret Thatcher” because the iron woman deserves credit for transforming Vinamilk into a strong brand over the past 40 years. With her dedication and outstanding talents in both business and leadership, Lien became the first and only Vietnamese CEO to receive the Asia's Best CEO award for investor relations. Furthermore, Forbes also named her as one of the top 50 most powerfull business women in Asia four consecutive times. |
 3. Thai Huong, director general of Bac A Bank and chairwoman of TH Group In her role as chairwoman of TH Group and the owner of the TH true MILK brand, Huong has been frequently named among the top 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia as voted on by Forbes. In 2019 she received the ASEAN Empowering Women Award at the World Knowledge Forum. |
 4. Cao Thi Ngoc Dzung, CEO of Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC Born in 1957, Dzung is chairwoman and CEO of Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC (PNJ) and was also voted by Forbes as one of the most powerful businesswomen in Asia. Under the leadership of Dzung, the PNJ brand has recorded several great achievements in both domestic and foreign markets. In particular, the quality and standards of their diamond testing unit is on par with the standards of the GIA -Gemological Institute of America. |
 5. Truong Thi Le Khanh, founder, chairwoman of Vinh Hoan Seafood Corp. (VHC) Born in 1961, Truong Thi Le Khanh, chairwoman of Vinh Hoan Corp., owns 79.1 million VHC shares, equivalent to VND3,380 billion as of March 7 and is ranked 32nd in the list of the richest people operating on the Vietnamese stock market. Forbes named Khanh in the list of 25 Asian Power Businesswomen in 2020, whilst in 2019, she was in the list of Forbes’ 50 most influential women in Vietnam as voted on by Forbes. |
 6. Nguyen Bach Diep, chairwoman, CEO of FPT Retail Since joining FPT Retail over eight years ago, Nguyen Bach Diep has helped to transform FPT Retail into the second largest retail chain in Vietnam, growing from 17 stores in its initial stage to more than 630 stores nationwide. 2019 saw Diep honoured in the list of the 50 most influential women in Vietnam by Forbes Vietnam. In September 2020, Diep featured in the top 25 most powerful businesswomen in Asia. |
 7. Pham Thi Viet Nga, CEO of Hau Giang Pharmacy Born in 1951, Pham Thi Viet Nga has turned Hau Giang Pharmacy from a small enterprise on the verge of bankruptcy to the leading Vietnamese pharmaceutical company with a turnover of approximately VND 3,000 billion annually. Back in 2013, Nga was voted by Forbes as one of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia along with Vinamilk CEO Mai Kieu Lien |
 8. Tran Thi Le, NutiFood CEO, leading producer of nutrition products Tran Thi Le, CEO of NutiFood, was voted by Forbes as one of the 25 most powerful female entrepreneurs in 2019. In 2017, Forbes Vietnam also voted Le as one of the country’s most influential women. She has helped to turn NutiFood into a famous Vietnamese producer of nutrition products in several major markets globally. |
 9. Nguyen Thi Nga, chairwoman of BRG Group Nguyen Thi Nga, chairwoman of BRG Group, has been named the first female Vietnamese entrepreneur to receive the Woman of Impact Award at 2020 Women Entrepreneurship Summit. Through her leadership, BRG Group represents a pioneer across many fields, including golf, hotels, and real estate. In addition, Nga also invests in finance, banking, import and export, retail, tourism, agriculture, and other fields. |
 10. Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh, chairwoman and CEO of REE Since 1982, Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh has helped the Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation (REE) to develop the Reetech air conditioner brand, becoming one of the first companies to be listed on the Vietnamese stock market back in 2000. As an entrepreneur, Thanh was honoured by Forbes and ranked 28th in the list of the 48 most Asia Power Businesswomen in 2014. |