Southeast Asia’s 2nd richest woman surpasses Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift in wealth

Huong, a 57-year-old woman and vice chairwoman of Vingroup, Vietnam's largest listed conglomerate, has shattered records by surpassing not only Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift but also Beyoncé Knowles and other notable figures in terms of wealth. As of Monday afternoon, Huong's estimated net worth reached a staggering US$4.4 billion, placing her at 982nd on Forbes' real-time billionaire list, a position previously held by Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey's fortune, valued at $3.4 billion, ranked her 1,262th globally. Winfrey's wealth stemmed from her successful media career, which included hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show for 25 years until 2011 and launching the cable channel OWN. Huong's wealth now surpasses that of American singer Taylor Swift as well, with Swift's net worth standing at $2 billion and placing her at 2,086th globally.

Swift's fortune primarily came from earnings generated by her Eras Tour and the value of her music catalog, which was estimated at $600 million. Huong's wealth also surpasses that of Beyoncé Knowles, who had a fortune of $1 billion, ranking 3,335th in the world. The bulk of Beyoncé's net worth came from her three-decade-long career as a solo artist and member of Destiny's Child.

She holds the record for the most Grammy wins of all time, with 35 awards, adding three more in February 2025, including her first Album of the Year trophy. Huong's newfound wealth has also put her ahead of Scale AI co-founder Lucy Guo, writer J.K. Rowling, and singer Rihanna, whose net worth was estimated at $1.5 billion, $1.2 billion, and $1 billion, respectively.

Huong entered Forbes' list of the world's 1,000 richest people for the first time in the same month she became a billionaire, which occurred in February. Her rise to billionaire status was largely due to the rally in Vingroup shares, which are chaired by her husband, Pham Nhat Vuong, recognized as the richest man in Southeast Asia.

Vingroup shares have gained approximately 50% since the start of the year. In Southeast Asia, Huong is only surpassed by Marina Budiman of Indonesia, co-founder and president commissioner of data center operator DCI Indonesia, with a net worth of around US$6 billion. The world's richest woman is Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, whose fortune is valued at $118 billion.