Bia Saigon Special: retaining unparalleled quality

SABECO has introduced a brand new personality for its much-loved Bia Saigon Special

Bia Saigon, which is a brand by Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (SABECO), has been reborn with a new taste, packaging, and positioning to better meet the needs of consumers after more than 20 years in the market. Bia Saigon Special is particularly recognised by many Vietnamese people for its special taste and iconic packaging.

While retaining unparalleled quality, Bia Saigon Special has improved its taste by using carefully selected Yakima hops for a long-lasting refreshing taste. These Yakima hops are imported of high quality, and are grown in the

Yakima Valley of Washington, the largest and oldest hop-growing region in the world.

Meeting new tastes

Bia Saigon Special applies a special brewing technique called “dry-hopping”, in which hops are added one more time to the fermentation to achieve a characteristic taste profile with a special light fresh aroma which enhances the overall extraordinary yet refreshing taste. That is deemed a wise movement from the company in the context of tough competition.

Dry hopping is a brewing term for adding hops late in the brewing process, either during fermentation or conditioning. Wet hopping concerns adding freshly picked hops during brewing.

“The beer category in Vietnam and around the world has been growing rapidly and consumers’ tastes have been evolving over the years. It is imperative for SABECO to keep up with time and to continue to stay relevant to the changing consumer needs and preferences,” said SABECO general director Bennett Neo at a special event to mark the rebirth of the legendary Bia Saigon Special.

“Therefore, SABECO has been improving the quality and production technology over the last few years to put Vietnamese-made products on the world map,” Neo said. “This rebirth of Bia Saigon Special is our first effort in 2022, setting the ground for more practical and breakthrough initiatives to create greater value and experience for consumers and the community.”

In response to changing consumer behaviour and severe competition, the rebirth of Bia Saigon Special reinforces SABECO’s long-term ambition to boost brand positioning and expand its market with creative and pioneering goods and services.

SABECO has applied rigorous requirements to all raw materials. Particularly, ingredients that affect product quality, food hygiene, and safety such as barley malt, hops, cans, ends, bottles, and corks have been purchased directly from suppliers, which means the quality control of raw materials has been assured before re-distributing to breweries. Auxiliary ingredients, which do not affect the beer quality, food safety, and hygiene, have been purchased by breweries in accordance with the list of suppliers, brands, and technical requirements approved by SABECO.

Vietnam is considered one of the largest and fastest-growing beer markets across the world, featuring many well-known global brands such as HEINEKEN, Carlsberg, and Sapporo. The emergence of additional foreign brands has increased rivalries, particularly in the premium beer market, which is dominated by the biggest names.

Because of its greater quality and flavour, a growing number of customers are paying more attention to premium beer and are prepared to pay the higher price.

Vietnam’s beverage sector sets the target to achieve a growth rate of 6-6.5 per cent in 2022, and the sector aims to produce 4.5 billion litres of beer this year, up 12 per cent against 2021 and equalling 88.5 per cent of the 2019 volume.

Hit by the pandemic, last year the production volume of beer in Vietnam reached around 4.05 billion litres, equal to nearly 93 per cent of the volume in 2020. However, consumption fell 20 per cent on-year. However, the annual growth rate is expected to hit 5.6 per cent across 2019-2023.

Nguyen Van Viet, chairman of the Vietnam Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Association, said, “We are quite upbeat about the market this year. Vietnam still posts positive economic growth with a stable macroeconomic situation and inflation being under control at a modest level. The young population provides a large workforce as well as a significant demand for beverages.”

SABECO underlines the importance of keeping up with the latest trends and customer desires

Reinforced position

Since 1999, Bia Saigon Special has not only quenched the thirst of multiple Vietnamese generations but also made a name for itself on the international stage by winning numerous prestigious awards and contributing to the globalisation of Vietnamese beer products. The reborn Bia Saigon Special reaffirms SABECO’s near-150 years of quality and brewing expertise with a deep understanding of the preferences and needs of the Vietnamese people.

Since the first years of the open-door economic policy in Vietnam, many local businesses in the sector have made great efforts in investment to reach the level seen in the wider region and worldwide in terms of equipment, technology, management expertise, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

As a top player, SABECO has a good grip on advanced workings, such as in environmental management, or the latest management methods across the board. Overseas players based in Vietnam also do a smart job in this field, leveraging their track records.

From the desire to dedicate itself to raising the national brand of Vietnam worldwide, SABECO has built a sustainable development model as the focus of the group’s long-term development strategy.

With the commitment to Vietnam, SABECO’s sustainable development model focuses on the four goals of consumption, conservation, country, and culture.

With 147 years of brewing history, SABECO has established itself as one of Vietnam’s leading companies. It includes 26 breweries and 11 trading subsidiaries and has a distribution network consisting of 100,000 retailers nationwide. SABECO offers a brand portfolio that consists of some of the most well-loved beer brands in Vietnam, including Bia Saigon Chill, Bia 333, Bia Saigon Special, Bia Saigon Export, Bia Saigon Lager, Bia Lac Viet, and Bia Saigon Gold.