Vietnamese Female Entrepreneur Named Among Asia’s 100 Most Powerful Women by U.S. Magazine for Two Consecutive Years

Fortune’s “100 Most Powerful Women in Asia” list highlights women redefining leadership by transforming companies, reshaping industries, driving growth and innovation, and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

The list is based on five criteria: company size and growth, strategic vision, innovation and breakthroughs, influence on business and the economy, and reputation and social impact.

This year’s honorees come from 14 markets across Asia, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), Macao (China), and Vietnam, spanning diverse industries.

Joining Vinamilk in 1976, when Vietnam’s dairy industry was virtually non-existent and child malnutrition rates were high, Ms. Lien and Vinamilk’s leadership set out with a mission: to ensure every Vietnamese child could access high-quality nutrition. Over nearly 50 years at Vinamilk, including 33 years as CEO, she and her team have built Vietnam’s largest dairy company and a top global dairy brand.

Vinamilk laid the foundation for Vietnam’s modern dairy industry, dispelling the notion that “Vietnam cannot develop a dairy herd.” They pioneered the “White Revolution” in the 1990s, establishing domestic dairy farming that led to today’s large-scale, modern industry. Vinamilk has long championed sustainability through initiatives like the “Fund for Vietnamese Children’s Height,” “1 Million Trees for Vietnam,” and “Vinamilk Pathway to Dairy Net Zero 2050.”

Under her leadership, Vinamilk launched long-term programs to improve the health of Vietnamese generations, ensuring children nationwide have daily access to milk. Notable initiatives include the “School Milk Program,” which has improved nutrition for preschool and primary students, reduced malnutrition, and enhanced children’s growth; and the “Fund for Vietnamese Children’s Height,” which has provided nearly 43 million milk cartons to over 550,000 disadvantaged children across Vietnam over 18 years.

From 2012 to 2020, Vinamilk partnered with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on the “1 Million Trees for Vietnam” initiative, planting 1,121,000 trees in 56 locations across 20 provinces, exemplifying their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Since 2023, Vinamilk has committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050. As Vietnam’s first dairy company with three units (two factories and one farm) certified as carbon neutral (PAS 2060:2014), Vinamilk also joined the global dairy initiative “Pathways to Dairy Net Zero.”

With state-of-the-art farms and factories, Vinamilk continuously raises quality standards, adopts cutting-edge technology, and innovates to meet international benchmarks for safety, purity, and taste. Exporting to 65 countries, Vinamilk has become a global leader.

Over 33 years as CEO, Ms. Lien’s innovative spirit, strategic vision, and leadership philosophy—”autonomy, determination, and compassion”—have propelled Vinamilk to global prominence. The company ranks among the world’s top 36 dairy firms by revenue and is the most promising global dairy brand.