Billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao talks with Harrow School students

Female billionaire shares her experience with Harrow School's professors and students

Vietnam is emerging as the new Asian tiger thanks to the government’s efforts to create a constructive business environment. With a hope of connecting Vietnamese business leaders with the younger generation, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao takes the time to discuss and share her experiences with young people, most recently with the delegation of the prestigious Harrow School from England.

Harrow School is a public school for boys in London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon under a Royal Charter of Elizabeth I. The world-renowned school’s alumni include various members of royal families, former prime ministers, and politicians such as President Winston Churchill.

Female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has also shared her experiences with Harvard students. The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College also sent a delegation of MBA undergraduate students to meet the leader of Vietjet to explore the business environment and discover her entrepreneurship story.

At the meeting, Tran Hoai Nam, vice president of Vietjet has held a briefing about Vietjet and HDBank. The professors and students were impressed by the enthusiastic sharing of female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao during her academic studies and research. She also shared about her high school years and unforgettable memories with her teachers and friends as well as her lifelong dream. As of present, she does not have much chance to meet her teachers, but they always pay attention and encourage her at each important milestone.

As the global economy provides new opportunities and competitive challenges, the private sector has made great strides in Vietnam. HDBank and Vietjet are among the key players in the development of the Vietnamese private sector.

HDBank is among the top 30 listed companies in Vietnam with assets increasing 22 times over the past decade. Meanwhile, Vietjet has become Vietnam’s largest private airline after eight years, making contributing up to 70 per cent to the development of the local aviation industry. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao believed that success partly comes from the influence of teachers in her life.

The delegation takes photo with female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao

The two-hour meeting with one of the most influential female women in the world is a special event for the Harrow School’s delegation on the journey to discover Vietnamese culture and its dynamic society. The delegation has learnt about the creativity and innovation of leading private companies in the emerging Asian economy.

In the future, the elite alumni of Harrow School is expected to share the image of Vietnam’s beauty and hospitality, thereby deepening ties between Vietnam and the UK.

Following the talk with the Southeast Asian female billionaire, the Harrow School delegation continued the journey to explore Vietnam by paying a visit to the UNESCO office in Vietnam.

The delegation also travelled across 300km of mountain roads to visit ethnic minority people like the H’Mong, Dao Do, Tay, Giay, and Xa Pho. During the trip, the delegation has enjoyed various extracurricular activities with pupils at Sapa elementary school like teaching English and playing games like tug of war, mini football, and trying their hands at bamboo pole dancing.

Harrow School students visited Sapa elementary school