Most Vietnamese in the 2022 Forbes global billionaires list saw their wealth increase amid the Covid-19
pandemic last year.
The list features seven of
them, the highest ever, including one woman and six men with a collective net worth of $21.2 billion.
Nova Group chairman Bui Thanh Nhon broke into it for the first time.
The rest saw their worth remain unchanged or increase except for Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat
Vuong.
Tran Dinh Long, 61, chairman of steel giant Hoa Phat, made it into the top 1,000 for the first time after his wealth increased by US$1
billion over the last year. Long had the highest net worth growth of all Vietnamese billionaires.
With a net worth of $3.2 billion, he is currently Vietnam’s second richest after surpassing Vietjet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao.
It had topped $4 billion last October after the Hoa Phat stock peaked at VND60,000 ($2.62), but the price fell by 25 percent at the end of
last year, tracking the 30 percent decline in steel prices in China, the world’s top producer.
His net worth then declined to around $3 billion, but as of March 11, when Forbes measured people’s wealth, the share (HPG) had rallied to
VND50,000.
Hoa Phat saw its post-tax profit go up 2.5 times to VND34.52 trillion last year, 92 percent higher than its target.
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, 51, returned to the top 1,000 after four years with a net worth of $3.1 billion, up $300 million compared
to last year, though the aviation industry slump continued due to Covid.
Besides being CEO of budget carrier Vietjet Air, she is also president of leading…