The Pen is Mightier: Unveiling the Zodiac Signs of Vietnam’s Top CEOs. A closer look at the zodiac signs of CEOs leading some of Vietnam’s largest empires reveals an intriguing pattern. With a focus on the Vietnamese lunar calendar and its zodiac animals, we find that CEOs born in the Year of the Horse, Tiger, Rat, and Dog are the most prevalent. Meanwhile, the CEOs of THACO and Traphaco, both born in the Year of the Wooden Snake (Ất Tỵ), navigate through their ‘age’ year.

Vietnam Report’s data on the ages of CEOs in the Top 500 largest enterprises in Vietnam (VNR500) reveals that the majority of CEOs belong to the zodiac signs of Ngọ, Dần, Tý, and Tuất, with percentages of 15.6%, 15.3%, 14.8%, and 14.5%, respectively.

Looking at the elements, the highest number of CEOs were born in the year of the Rabbit (Nhâm Tý – 1972), accounting for 5.8%. This is followed by those born in the years of the Tiger (Giáp Dần – 1974), Dragon (Bính Thìn – 1976), and Snake (Đinh Tỵ – 1977), each group making up 5.3%.

It’s interesting to note that a significant number of CEOs in this year’s VNR500 ranking are from the 7X generation. This generation grew up in a more open educational environment, as the country enjoyed peace and started embracing influences from Western countries. During the era of renovation, they had access to modern information technology and benefited from international trade policies. Additionally, they possess a wealth of experience in business and management compared to the younger generation.

According to Vietnam Report’s data, CEOs under the age of 40 in Vietnam make up about 10.8%, which is significantly lower than the proportion of CEOs aged 41 to 50 (41.1%) and those over 51 years old (48.1%). However, this percentage has been increasing in recent years.

Typically, ages 45 and above are considered the peak years for Vietnamese entrepreneurs, as they have accumulated a wealth of knowledge, confidence, leadership experience, and a robust network of business connections.

On the other hand, the rising number of CEOs under 40 indicates a shift towards younger, more dynamic leadership in Vietnamese businesses. This reflects the current trend of leadership diversification and rejuvenation within the country’s business community.

Out of the 12.9% of Snake-born entrepreneurs in this year’s VNR500 ranking, 2.3% were born in the year of the Wooden Snake (Ất Tỵ).

Notable VNR500 CEOs born in 1965 include: Hàn Ngọc Vũ (Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam), Lê Quốc Long (Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank), Phạm Văn Tài (Truong Hai Auto Corporation), Trần Túc Mã (Traphaco Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company), Phạm Thị Thanh Hương (Binh Dinh Pharmaceutical – Medical Equipment Joint Stock Company), and Phạm Thị Xuân Hương (OPC Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company).