Phạm Nhật Vượng (, born 5 August 1968)[3] is a Vietnamese property developer and Vietnam's first USD billionaire.[4] He is the founder and chairman of Vingroup, the largest conglomerate in Vietnam, and the creator and former owner of Mivina, one of the most popular brands of instant noodles in Ukraine. As of October 2025, Vượng has a net worth of $20.3 billion according to Forbes.[5]
Personal life
Vượng was born on 5 August 1968 in Hanoi; his paternal family has origins in Hà Tĩnh in north-central Vietnam.[6] His father served in the Vietnamese Army's air defence division, and his mother is a Haiphonger, who had a tea shop, which left the family with a very meager income.[4] He grew up in Hanoi and graduated from Kim Lien High School in 1985.[7]
In 1987, he entered Hanoi University of Mining and Geology and was sent to the Soviet Union to study in the Moscow Geological Prospecting Institute,[1][2] for which he was able to obtain a scholarship thanks to his mathematical abilities.[4] He graduated from this university in 1992.[1]
After graduating, he married Phạm Thu Hương, whom he had known since high school, and moved to Kharkiv, Ukraine where he lived in the early 1990s.[2] The couple has three children.[8][9]
Career
In the 1990s, while living in Ukraine, Phạm Nhật Vượng started an instant noodle restaurant business using money borrowed from friends and family. Soon he also started producing and selling instant noodles.[4] This Mivina brand of instant noodles became popular with Ukrainians during the lean post-communist years of the 1990s.[10]
In 1993, he founded Technocom, which would become successful in dehydrated culinary products in Ukraine.[11] Vượng sold Technocom to Nestlé for $150 million in 2009, before returning to Vietnam.[2][12]
Vượng's first projects in Vietnam were Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang (opened in 2003) and Vincom City Towers (later renamed Vincom Ba Trieu) in central Hanoi (opened in 2004). Vincom went public in 2007. It merged with Vinpearl, Vượng's luxury resort business, to form VinGroup in 2007.[4] VinGroup is headquartered in its Riverside township in Long Biên District in Eastern Hanoi.
In 2015, Vượng was listed as the richest person in Vietnam with assets totalling VNĐ 24.3 trillion (approximately US$1.1 billion), which more than quadrupled those of the second richest person, Trần Đình Long of Hanoi Hoa Phat Corporation.[13] His wife, Phạm Thu Hương and sister-in-law Phạm Thúy Hằng ranked third and fifth respectively.
Vượng took on the role of CEO of VinFast in January 2024.[14]
References
- Nguyên Đức. Chuyện về tỷ phú Phạm Nhật Vượng Báo Đầu Tư Online, 2 October 2014, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- Former owner of domestic Mivina becomes richest man of Vietnam InVenture, 25 January 2018, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- Jane Lewis. Pham Nhat Vuong: Vietnam’s Donald Trump MoneyWeek, 25 December 2019, retrieved 22 January 2025^
- Michael Noer. Vietnam's First Billionaire And The Triumph Of Capitalism Forbes, 4 March 2013, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- Pham Nhat Vuong Forbes, retrieved 2025-07-19^
- Tỷ phú Phạm Nhật Vượng đi từ 'không' đến 'có' thế nào? Tiền Phong, 19 March 2013, retrieved 13 January 2014^
- Trần Linh. Trường Kim Liên gây bất ngờ với loạt HS thành đạt Zing.vn, 17 November 2014, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- Phạm Nhật Vượng Forbes Profile Forbes^
- Những cặp vợ chồng quyền lực trên thương trường Việt (The most powerful business couples in Vietnam) Báo điện tử Dân Trí.^
- ‘This country gave me a lot’: the Vietnamese people staying in Ukraine The Guardian, 18 June 2024, retrieved 18 June 2024^
- Netty Ismail. Vietnam billionare bets on move from gold to land Bloomberg, The Independent, 29 October 2012, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- Nestlé acquires leading culinary company in Ukraine Nestlé, 25 February 2010, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- Top 100 nguoi giàu nhất Việt Nam trên TTCK 2015 VnExpress, 2015, retrieved 7 March 2019^
- VnExpress. Vietnam's richest man takes over as VinFast CEO - VnExpress International VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam, retrieved 2024-12-30^