{
  "id": 4821468,
  "title": "Southeast Asia’s 5 richest billionaires, led by Vietnam’s Pham Nhat Vuong, worth $110.7B",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/southeast-asias-5-richest-billionaires-led-by-vietnams-pham-nhat",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-01T08:28:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VnExpress Business",
    "slug": "vnexpress-business",
    "url": "https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/billionaires/southeast-asia-s-5-richest-billionaires-led-by-vietnam-s-pham-nhat-vuong-worth-110-7b-5115569.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Southeast Asia is home to five billionaires with a combined net worth of $110.7 billion, according to Forbes' real-time billionaire rankings released on Monday. Vietnam's Pham Nhat Vuong leads the list with a staggering $36.5 billion fortune, positioning him as the region's wealthiest individual and ranking 60th globally. This wealth surge is primarily driven by the rising value of Vingroup shares, which soared to a record VND236,000 ($9.05) on August 27, marking Vuong's fourth-largest gain among billionaires worldwide and outpacing even Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's increase. Vuong's wife, Pham Thu Huong, also made Forbes' list as Vietnam's second-richest person, sharing the $4.1 billion fortune with chairwoman Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao of Vietjet Air.\n\nPhilippine ports tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. occupies the second spot with a net worth of $20 billion. The 66-year-old chairperson of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) saw his wealth grow by over $10 billion year-on-year, as ICTSI shares more than doubled due to the company's international expansion. Meanwhile, Indonesia's coal magnate Low Tuck Kwong, aged 78, holds the third position with a net worth of approximately $19.3 billion. Low's wealth increased by about $4 billion in August as Bayan Resources, his flagship company, experienced a 27% surge in shares. The tycoon is reportedly in discussions to potentially sell a majority stake in the coal miner to a consortium led by Indonesian tycoon Haji Isam.\n\nThai tycoons Dhanin Chearavanont and Sarath Ratanavadi occupy the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with net worths of $17.6 billion and $17.3 billion. Dhanin, 87, is the senior chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, a conglomerate with diverse businesses in sectors such as agriculture, food production, retail, telecommunications, real estate, finance, and e-commerce. CP Group, a major arm of the conglomerate, plans to invest an additional $600 million in Vietnam to expand poultry and pork processing facilities. Thai energy tycoon Sarath Ratanavadi, the founder and CEO of Gulf Development, rounds out the top five after adding $5.6 billion to his wealth, fueled by the transformation of Gulf Development from a conventional power producer into a broader infrastructure conglomerate.",
  "summary": "Southeast Asia’s five richest billionaires have a combined net worth of about US$110.7 billion, with Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong accounting for nearly a third of it.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}