According to Forbes, the number of individuals with a net worth of US$1 billion or more increased by over 400 people compared to 2025. The surge was driven by the boom in artificial intelligence (AI), strong financial markets and supportive monetary policies.

Not only are there more billionaires, but they are also wealthier. Their combined net worth reached a record US$20.1 trillion, up about US$4 trillion from the previous year.

The United States is the country with the most billionaires, with 989 individuals, including 15 of the world’s top 20 richest people. China (including Hong Kong) ranks second with 610 billionaires, while India comes third with 229.

Vietnam has eight billionaires on the list with a combined wealth of about US$39.8 billion, up US$25.1 billion from last year.

Leading the list of Vietnamese billionaires is Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of Vingroup, whose net worth is estimated at US$27.7 billion, an increase of US$21.2 billion compared with 2025. He ranks 93rd globally.

Within the Vingroup ecosystem, two female entrepreneurs appear on the list for the first time. Pham Thu Huong, Vice Chairwoman of Vingroup and wife of Pham Nhat Vuong, has a net worth of US$3 billion, ranking 1,406th globally. Pham Thuy Hang, another Vingroup Vice Chairwoman and Huong’s sister, owns US$2.1 billion, ranking 1,982nd.

Among Vietnamese billionaires, Pham Thu Huong ranks third, while Pham Thuy Hang stands sixth. Together with Pham Nhat Vuong, the three Vingroup-related billionaires hold about US$32.8 billion, accounting for roughly 82% of the total wealth of Vietnam’s billionaires on the list.

The second richest Vietnamese on the list is Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman of Sovico Group, with a net worth of US$4.2 billion, up US$1.4 billion from last year. She ranks 1,011th globally and is Vietnam’s first female billionaire, with most of her wealth coming from shares in Vietjet Air and HDBank.

Next is Tran Dinh Long, Chairman of Hoa Phat Group, with an estimated US$2.9 billion.

He is followed by Ho Hung Anh, Chairman of Techcombank, with US$2.5 billion, and Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman of VPBank, who appears on the list for the first time.

Nguyen Dang Quang, Chairman of Masan, also remains on the list with a net worth of about US$1.2 billion, up US$200 million from last year.

Forbes noted that the rankings are based on stock prices and exchange rates as of March 1, 2026.

Three new names lift Vietnam’s billionaire count to eight on Forbes list

VOV.VN - Vietnam has added three new billionaires after two executives at conglomerate Vingroup and the chairman of a major private commercial bank appeared in Forbes’ real-time billionaire rankings, bringing the country’s total to eight.