Beer sales soar
Some achievement. Vietnam’s beer production grew faster than the country’s economy in 2013. For the full year, GDP was up 5.42 percent, while beer output rose 7.4 percent to 29 million hl, Vietnamese media report.
Saigon Beer Corporation (Sabeco) and Hanoi Beer Company (Habeco), the country’s two largest brewers, respectively accounted for 13.3 million hl and 5.3 million hl.
On average, Vietnam’s 87 million people consumed about 32 litres of beer per year.
With this momentum, output could increase to 33 million hl in 2014 and 36 million in 2015, the Viet Nam Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Association (VBA) said, echoing Heineken’s forecast that Vietnam is going to remain an attractive beer market in the future.
Already, Vietnam is the “beer drinking champion” of the ASEAN region. In terms of volumes it ranks third in Asia after China and Japan. In profits per hl it outdoes China and India by far, according to estimates by Nomura, a bank.
Still, the market remains difficult territory for foreign brewers. The only international brand to have successfully cracked the market is Heineken. Vietnamese consumers are notorious brand-hoppers. They are open to tasting new products when invited to do so but only buy popular brands. This may also be the reason Foster’s, Zorok (launched by SABMiller in 2007), and even Sapporo, which were mainly given as gifts in previous years, are not as attractive anymore.
