The Pen and the Pad: Crafting Words that Captivate and Compel The Billionaire’s Buzz: A Whirlwind Six Months

Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong

As of June 30, 2025, Forbes estimates Pham Nhat Vuong’s net worth at $10.5 billion, ranking him as the 273rd richest person globally.

In the first half of 2025, Vuong’s Vingroup conglomerate embarked on a series of significant initiatives across multiple sectors, including industry, infrastructure, real estate, tourism, and transportation.

Most recently, on June 29, the VinFast Ha Tinh electric vehicle manufacturing plant was inaugurated after nearly seven months of construction. This 36-hectare facility is VinFast’s second plant in Vietnam and will have an annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. The project, located in the Vung Ang Economic Zone and powered by renewable energy, is expected to create 6,000 jobs when operational.

Just days earlier, Vingroup demonstrated its rapid construction capabilities by delivering the Vietnam Exhibition Center in Dong Anh, Hanoi. The project, which commenced in August 2024, was completed in just ten months and is currently the largest exhibition center in the country.

In the real estate sector, on April 19, Vingroup broke ground on the Can Gio coastal urban area project in Ho Chi Minh City. Spanning approximately 2,870 hectares, this mixed-use development will encompass residential, tourism, commercial, and ecological components. It is one of the largest projects in southern Vietnam and a key focus for Vingroup in the coming years.

In terms of infrastructure, Vuong established VinSpeed, which proposed the construction of a high-speed rail system connecting the North and South of the country, with an estimated investment of over $61 billion.

In the transportation sector, the Xanh SM electric taxi brand, founded by Vuong, has achieved the largest market share among electric vehicles in Vietnam and is aggressively expanding into other Southeast Asian countries. VinFast also maintains its position as Vietnam’s best-selling car brand, continuously introducing new models across various segments.

In the hospitality sector, Vinpearl, a subsidiary of Vingroup, listed on the HOSE in mid-May 2025 and currently has a market capitalization of nearly VND 170,000 billion. The combined market capitalization of companies within the Vingroup ecosystem, including VIC, VHM, VPL, and VRE, stands at over VND 900,000 billion.

Billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao

For several years, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has remained Vietnam’s sole female billionaire. Forbes currently estimates her net worth at $2.5 billion, ranking her as the 1,517th richest person worldwide.

Thao had a busy first half of 2025, making significant aircraft purchases for her airline business.

On June 18, Vietjet and Airbus announced a substantial order for 100 A321neo aircraft, along with 50 options. This follows an agreement signed in May for 20 additional A330neo wide-body aircraft, bringing the total to 40. These orders will enable Vietjet to strengthen its network across the Asia-Pacific region and potentially launch long-haul routes to Europe in the future.

Just two days earlier, on June 16, Vietjet and Rolls-Royce signed a deal for 40 additional Trent 7000 engines to power 20 Airbus A330neo aircraft. This brings the total number of Trent 7000 engines ordered by Vietjet to 80.

In the first quarter of 2025, Vietjet completed its investment in Kazakhstan’s national carrier, Qazaq Air, and subsequently renamed it Vietjet Qazaqstan. This low-cost carrier is expected to serve as a strategic aviation bridge between Kazakhstan and Vietnam, promoting tourism, trade, and logistics across Asia, while also contributing to local economic development and providing high-quality job opportunities.

Beyond aviation, Thao’s Sovico Group proposed to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to invest in the city’s Metro Line 4 project, connecting Dong Thanh in Hoc Mon District and Hiep Phuoc Port in Nha Be District. With total assets exceeding VND 187,000 billion, Sovico Group currently invests in over 30 member companies, employing more than 40,000 people.

The group operates in key sectors of the economy, including finance and banking, aviation, real estate, digitalization, and renewable energy. It is also a founding shareholder of Vietjet Air.

Billionaire Tran Dinh Long

As the owner of Vietnam’s leading steel producer, Tran Dinh Long has a net worth of $2.3 billion, ranking him as the 1,650th richest person in the world.

This year, Long’s Hoa Phat Group is focusing its resources on completing the Hoa Phat Dung Quat 2 Steel Complex project to lay the foundation for double-digit growth in the coming years. With this project, the group aims to achieve a steel production capacity of 15 million tons per year, propelling Hoa Phat into the top 30 steel producers globally.

Notably, Long has committed to achieving 15% annual growth from 2025 to 2030.

Additionally, Hoa Phat has expressed interest in producing steel rails for the high-speed North-South railway project. In May 2025, the group signed a contract with Germany’s SMS group to supply technology and a production line with an annual capacity of 700,000 tons. The project is expected to be completed in 20 months, with the first high-speed rails produced in the first quarter of 2027. Upon completion, Hoa Phat will be the only company in Southeast Asia capable of producing steel rails for high-speed railways.

The production line will feature the most modern European technology and a four-axis super-flexible rolling mill, ensuring superior accuracy and consistent quality according to international high-speed rail standards. Currently, 90% of the world’s steel rail rolling mills utilize technology and equipment from SMS group.

In the industrial park sector, Hoa Phat has received approval from Phu Yen province to invest in the nearly 500-hectare Hoa Tam Industrial Park. This project aims to support the development of the Hoa Phat Integrated Steel Complex, which is planned to have a capacity of 6 million tons per year in Phu Yen.

With this new project, Hoa Phat’s total planned industrial park area reaches nearly 2,000 hectares. The group already owns and operates four industrial parks: Pho Noi A (Hung Yen), Hoa Mac (Ha Nam), Yen My II (Hung Yen), and Dong Phuc (Bac Giang).

Billionaire Ho Hung Anh

According to Forbes, Ho Hung Anh, Chairman of Techcombank, is the 1,631st richest person in the world, with a net worth of $2.3 billion, on par with Tran Dinh Long. Notably, at this year’s annual general meeting, Anh set a target to increase the bank’s market capitalization from $7 billion to $20 billion in 2025.

Following the meeting, Techcombank’s shares surged, and its market capitalization surpassed $8 billion within a few days. This upward trend has continued, and the bank’s current market capitalization stands at approximately $9.2 billion.

In May 2025, Ho Anh Minh, Anh’s son, co-founded a blockchain technology company called 1Matrix. With an initial chartered capital of VND 200 billion, the company is headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City and focuses on developing blockchain platforms for finance, supply chain management, and enterprise data governance.

1Matrix is a joint venture between individuals from Anh’s family and several partners, aiming to build a decentralized data ecosystem for Vietnamese enterprises. Their first project is expected to be an electronic transaction authentication platform for enterprises in banking, logistics, and e-commerce.

Recently, Techcom Securities, a member of the Techcombank ecosystem, announced plans for an IPO of 231 million shares, although the offering price has not yet been disclosed. Following the IPO, Techcom Securities’ chartered capital is expected to increase to VND 23,113 billion, maintaining its leading position in the securities industry.

Billionaire Nguyen Dang Quang

With a net worth hovering around $1 billion, Nguyen Dang Quang frequently enters and exits Forbes’ real-time billionaire rankings. Currently, his net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion, ranking him as the 2,850th richest person globally.

The recent surge in MSN shares of Masan Group, of which Quang is the chairman, has been the primary driver of his return to the billionaire list. Masan currently operates over 4,000 WinMart and WinMart+ stores nationwide.

Masan is also in the process of preparing for the IPO of Masan Consumer Holdings on the HOSE, expected to take place in 2025. This listing will enable the group to attract additional capital to expand production, innovate products, and develop its distribution network.

At the annual general meeting earlier this year, Quang emphasized that Masan is leveraging technology to drive brand transformation, innovation, and enhanced consumer experiences, with ambitions to expand internationally.

Masan Group has completed the first phase of its five-year journey to build an integrated consumer-retail platform. In the second phase, the group will focus on consolidating its market share and profitability.

“This is the missing piece that will propel Masan from a traditional conglomerate image, breaking the stigma of multi-industry companies, and affirming its position as an integrated consumer experience platform, similar to global giants like Walmart, Amazon, Alibaba, Reliance, and Apple,” Quang emphasized.

He cautioned that traditional business models will gradually disappear, and digital transformation will reshape Vietnam’s consumer and retail sector. Therefore, integrating software, data, AI, automation, and connectivity into Masan’s DNA is imperative.

Minh Quan