THAO LE
Entrepreneur | Author
EARLY LIFE
Thao was raised in a family that built and operated an FMCG import–export enterprise for more than 30 years, supplying essential consumer goods across Vietnam. That environment gave her early exposure to how trade functions, how regulations shape markets, and how economic pressures affect everyday households.
She had a knack for business from a young age. At 14, during Lunar New Year, she noticed the tradition of buying salt for good luck, so she bought a big bag of salt for 1k VND (4 cents), divided it into small ribbon-tied packets, and sold them outside a pagoda for about 20–30k VND ($1) each. That simple idea taught her early lessons in culture, demand, location, and adding value.
At 16, during the 1,000-year anniversary of Hà Nội, Vietnam’s capital, she decided to sell commemorative T-shirts with a “1000 Years Hà Nội” print. She put in about 1.6 million VND ($65) and lost all of it because the wholesale price was too high and the event was purely seasonal. It taught her not to rely on one-off events and to always find the best possible supplier.
At 18, she expanded these skills into early digital commerce, selling specialty items on Facebook through a zero-capital pre-order model that taught her risk management, supply-chain coordination, and online customer acquisition.
After completing her studies in the UK, she returned to Vietnam and applied what she had learned to her family’s business before launching her own ventures. She later founded an e-commerce platform that has helped thousands of women earn independent income through digital-skills training and barrier-free sales models.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Thao is the author of The Elite Game and has served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Economics and Finance in Ho Chi Minh City, where she taught critical thinking and helped students connect classroom learning with real-world systems. Her philanthropic work includes raising more than $40,000 to support rural schools and infrastructure.
CORE VALUES
She builds business models that let women start earning even when they have little or no capital. Her focus is simple: give families a fair chance to move upward.
She works with transparency and respect for the law, because trust is the foundation of any organization that aims to serve people well.
Her work is rooted in helping women gain steady income, real confidence, and long-term financial independence through education and inclusive digital commerce.