How this woman became Vietnam's first female billionaire

How this woman became Vietnam's first female billionaire
How this woman became Vietnam's first female billionaire

This woman became the first female billionaire in her country.

Five years ago, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao launched Vietnam's first budget airline.

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Her goal was to change the way the Vietnamese flew.

She predicted that demand for air travel had the potential to increase, and she was right.

Today her airline, Vietjet, operates more than 40% of the Vietnamese airline market.

Thao is the only female billionaire in south east Asia and one of only two billionaires in the whole of Vietnam.

The 45-year-old made her first $1 million when she was just 21 by trading fax machines and latex rubber.

Vietjet launched in 2011 and featured controversial ads of flight attendants in bikinis.

It's not offered to referred to as the 'bikini airline'.

Vietjet now operates more than 300 flights on a daily basis and has 45 jets in its fleet.

Thao hopes to expand Vietjet into an international venture too.

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