The chief executive officers of two Vietnamese companies – budget carrier Vietjet and dairy firm NutiFood – have been named among the 25 most powerful businesswomen in Asia.

The Forbes 2019 listing, which honours women who play a significant role in shaping Asias business landscape, named Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao as the only woman to have started and run her own commercial airline.

As such, she epitomises the values of the power businesswomen in this issue – entrepreneurs who defy stereotypes and break down barriers, according to Forbes.

Thao is the countrys first self-made woman billionaire with a current net worth of US$2.5 billion, the magazine said, adding that she is also the wealthiest self-made woman in Southeast Asia.

This years Forbes listing also named NutiFood CEO Tran Thi Le who, with her husband, has turned the company into Viet Nams leading nutrition products producer, with sales of VND9.5 trillion ($408 million) last year. — VNS