AB InBev, Heineken among suitors for Vietnam’s biggest brewery

Managing director Hans Essadi said while it remained leery on the external environment, it would continue to strive to achieve solid performance in the next few quarters.

HO CHI MINH CITY: The world’s largest brewers from Europe to Asia are lining up for a chance to buy a stake in Vietnam’s top beer-maker, in a deal worth at least US$1.8 billion as consumption in the South-East Asian country surges.

Dutch brewer Heineken NV, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and its merger partner SABMiller Plc as well as Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings Ltd and Kirin Holdings Co are among seven foreign companies that have registered to bid for stakes in Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp, also known as Sabeco, its chief executive officer Le Hong Xanh said.