1927—
Collection · Vietnam
Public life · Enterprise · Sport · CultureWomen Who
Shaped Vietnam
Fourteen lives that widened Vietnamese possibility—from wartime diplomacy and legislative leadership to aviation, retail, Olympic firsts, World Cup football, literature, cinema and music.
Why these lives
This collection connects national firsts with the quieter work of building institutions, companies, sporting systems and creative careers. Each biography is written in English, dated, source-led and connected to the wider Vietnam archive.
- 01
Diplomacy and public institutions
Nguyễn Thị Bình and Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân reached defining national platforms: the Paris negotiations, the vice presidency and leadership of the National Assembly.
- 02
Enterprise after Đổi Mới
Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, Mai Kiều Liên, Nguyễn Thị Nga and Lê Hồng Thủy Tiên built scale across aviation, finance, manufacturing, hospitality and retail as Vietnam integrated with regional markets.
- 03
Sporting firsts and endurance
Trần Hiếu Ngân, Nguyễn Thị Oanh, Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên and Huỳnh Như set Olympic, Asian and Southeast Asian benchmarks across taekwondo, athletics, swimming and football.
- 04
Culture and representation
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, H’Hen Niê, Ngô Thanh Vân and Mỹ Tâm carried Vietnamese stories, identity, cinema and music to audiences at home and abroad.
Keep exploring
Place the people inside the history
Continue through Vietnam’s complete country archive or connect these careers to war, reunification, market reform and regional influence.
Fourteen sourced biographies
Meet the women behind the milestones
1954—
Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân
Former chairwoman of the National Assembly of VietnamThe public-finance administrator, labour minister and legislator who became the first woman to chair Vietnam’s National Assembly in 2016.Read biography
1970—
Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo
Founder and chairwoman of VietJet AirThe entrepreneur who founded VietJet, expanded private aviation in Vietnam and became the country’s first self-made woman billionaire after the airline listed.Read biography
1953—
Mai Kiều Liên
Chief executive of VinamilkThe dairy engineer who joined Vinamilk’s predecessor in 1976 and has led the company as chief executive through modernisation, listing and international expansion.Read biography
1955—
Nguyễn Thị Nga
BRG chairwoman and SeABank standing vice chairwomanThe entrepreneur who founded BRG as an import-export business in 1993 and expanded it into a private group with interests across finance, property, hospitality, golf and retail.Read biography
1970—
Lê Hồng Thủy Tiên
Chief executive officer of Imex Pan Pacific GroupThe former actor and flight attendant who moved into retail management and became chief executive of IPPG, helping scale international fashion, food-and-beverage and airport retail in Vietnam.Read biography1974—
Trần Hiếu Ngân
Olympic taekwondo medallistThe taekwondo athlete whose featherweight silver at the Sydney Olympics became the first Olympic medal in Vietnam’s history.Read biography
1995—
Nguyễn Thị Oanh
Middle-distance and long-distance runnerThe runner and steeplechaser whose 15 SEA Games gold medals, Asian indoor title and Asian Games bronze made her Vietnam’s defining distance athlete of her era.Read biography
1996—
Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên
Olympic swimmer and SEA Games championVietnam’s most decorated swimmer, a three-time Olympian whose range and endurance produced 25 Southeast Asian Games titles.Read biography
1991—
Huỳnh Như
Vietnam international forward and 2023 World Cup captainA Vietnamese forward with five dated Golden Ball wins, a two-season Portuguese club spell and captaincy of Vietnam’s first FIFA Women’s World Cup team.Read biography
1973—
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Poet, novelist and translatorThe bilingual poet and novelist whose family-centred fiction brought twentieth-century Vietnamese history to a wide international readership.Read biography
1992—
H’Hen Niê
Model, public advocate and Miss Universe Vietnam 2017The Êđê model and public advocate whose record-setting Miss Universe finish became a platform for girls’ education, literacy and community campaigns.Read biography
1979—
Ngô Thanh Vân
Actor, director and producerThe actor and producer known internationally as Veronica Ngo, whose action films created new space for women-led Vietnamese commercial cinema.Read biography
1981—
Mỹ Tâm
Singer, songwriter and producerThe singer-songwriter whose powerful ballads, self-produced albums and large live shows have sustained one of Vietnamese pop’s longest leading careers.Read biographyQuick answers
Influential Vietnamese women FAQs
- Who was the first woman to chair Vietnam’s National Assembly?
- Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân became the first woman elected chair of Vietnam’s National Assembly on 31 March 2016.
- Who won Vietnam’s first Olympic medal?
- Trần Hiếu Ngân won Vietnam’s first Olympic medal with silver in women’s 57 kg taekwondo at Sydney 2000.
- Who founded VietJet Air?
- Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo founded VietJet Air, which began commercial operations in 2011; she became the airline’s chairwoman in 2023.
- Who founded BRG Group?
- Nguyễn Thị Nga founded BRG Group in 1993 as an import-export enterprise and later expanded it across finance, property, hospitality, golf and retail.
- Who wrote The Mountains Sing?
- Vietnamese poet, translator and novelist Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai wrote The Mountains Sing, first published in 2020.
- Which Vietnamese woman reached the Miss Universe Top 5?
- H’Hen Niê reached the Top 5 at Miss Universe 2018, Vietnam’s best result in the competition at that time.
- Who captained Vietnam at its first FIFA Women’s World Cup?
- Huỳnh Như captained Vietnam at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and is the women’s national team’s record goalscorer.