Vietnam is home to some incredible success stories.
Vietnam is known for its stunning natural beauty, dynamic megacities, and hill-tribe villages. Managing to be both exotic and captivating, it is no wonder that many people put it high on their list of places to visit. But as well as being home to some of the most beautiful scenery and culture in the world, it is also home to some of the world’s most notable success stories. From “Vietnam’s Coffee King” to the winner of the World Series of Poker, these are the success stories that are putting Vietnam on the economic map.
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao
Along with 3 other Vietnamese entrepreneurs, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao was recently named on the list of the world’s richest people in 2020 by Forbes magazine. Vietnam’s first self-made female billionaire, she is currently the President and CEO of VietJet Air and owner of three beach resorts. Born in 1970, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao studied finance and economics in Moscow where she started a business distributing goods from Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. She went on to gain two bachelor’s degrees in financial credit management and labor economics as well as a doctoral degree in economic management.
She launched VietJet Air in 2011 and made big waves in the industry by featuring bikini-clad flight attendants in her advertisements. In 2018, her company Sovico announced that it would join forces with Taiwanese oil refiner CPC Corp to embark on oil exploration missions.
Dang Le Nguyen Vu
A highly successful entrepreneur and businessman, Dang Le Nguyen Vu is the founder, president, and director of the Trung Nguyen Group. He has been described by Forbes and National Geographic as the “Vietnam Coffee King” and “Zero to Hero”.
Born in 1971, Dang Le Nguyen Vu attended Tay Nguyen University in 1990 where he began to study and research coffee. By 1996 he had founded the Trung Nguyen Coffee Company and by 1998 he had opened his first coffeehouse in Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, numerous franchises have opened all over Vietnam leading Forbes to name Vu “Vietnam’s Coffee King”. He was selected as “Pioneer of the Year” in a vote by VnExpress readers and won the prize of the “Gold Star of the Vietnamese Top Brands in 2003”.
Dang Le Nguyen Vu is known as the “Vietnam Coffee King” @ Wikipedia
Linh Dan Pham
Born in Saigon, Linh Dan Pham moved to France with her family in 1975 where she grew up in Paris. She has since lived in Vietnam, The Hague, New York, and Singapore but currently resides in London. She is famous for her role in the 1992 Oscar-winning French film Indochine after which she took a decade-long hiatus from her film career to focus on studying commerce and marketing. She made her return to acting in 2005 when she appeared in The Beat That My Heart Skipped. She won a César award for her performance and went on to star in a number of other films such as Mr. Nobody, Dante 01, and Le Bruit des Gens Autour.
Qui Nguyen
Born in Vietnam in 1977, Qui Nguyen emigrated to the United States in 2001 at the age of 24. On arriving, he settled in California where he worked in a nail salon and he started playing poker in his spare time in 2003, focusing on small limits hold’em cash games. He decided to move to Las Vegas in 2007 where he started playing no-limit games. He won a seat at the WSOP Main Event through a $1,100 satellite and reached the coveted November Nine in a second chip position. He defeated Gordon Vayon in the final round, taking the top spot. His total live tournament winnings now exceed $8,050,000 and his story was published in an autobiography From Vietnam to Vegas! How I won the World Series of Poker Main Event by Qui Nguyen and co-authored by Steve Blay.
While Vietnam may be famous for its stunning landscapes, the work of these entrepreneurs, actors, and poker players are really making waves around the globe. The quality of talent and ingenuity from Vietnam is certainly putting the country firmly on the map.
Reporting by Jelien Moerman. The opinions expressed here are her own.