Vingroup deputy chairwoman Huong enters Forbes world’s top 1,000 richest
Pham Thu Huong, wife of Southeast Asia’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, ranked 963rd on Forbes’ real-time billionaire list on Friday. Her net worth rose nearly US$200 million in a single day as Vingroup shares hit a record high.
Pham Thu Huong, deputy chairwoman of Vingroup and wife of Southeast Asia’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, has entered the world’s top 1,000 wealthiest people for the first time. The 57-year-old ranked 963rd on Forbes’ real-time billionaire list on Friday, lifted by a rally in shares of the Vietnamese conglomerate.
Huong’s net worth rose by nearly US$200 million, or 4.67 per cent, in a single day as Vingroup shares hit a record VND256,000 (US$9.82) each. Forbes first included her in its annual billionaire ranking in February, when she placed 1,406th globally; she has since climbed 443 positions.
In Southeast Asia, Huong is the second-richest woman, trailing only Marina Budiman of Indonesia, co-founder and president commissioner of data centre operator DCI Indonesia, whose net worth stands at around US$6 billion.
Vingroup shares have gained 51 per cent since the start of the year, helping Vuong’s fortune rise 36 per cent to US$39.3 billion. He reached 54th place on Forbes’ global ranking for the first time on Friday and was among the world’s five biggest wealth gainers that day, after his net worth increased by US$1.6 billion.
In Vietnam, Vuong and Huong now have a combined net worth of US$43.8 billion, accounting for 76 per cent 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 US$3.2 billion, ranking fourth in Vietnam.
Vingroup is the largest listed company in Vietnam, with businesses spanning real estate, auto manufacturing, ride-hailing services, high-speed rail and satellite development. The company’s revenue jumped 72 per cent year-on-year to VND221.92 trillion in the first six months, while post-tax profit surged five-fold to VND20.9 trillion.
