SABECO: from an ice workshop to a national icon

Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation, known as SABECO, originated from an ice and beer workshop in Saigon in 1875, serving the need for cold beverages among residents of a land that still bore strong colonial influences.

From these humble beginnings, the company gradually grew into one of Vietnam’s largest beer producers, with iconic brands such as Bia Saigon and 333 deeply rooted in the memories of generations of Vietnamese consumers.

Throughout Vietnam’s modern history – from the colonial era, through wartime, national reunification, economic reform, and deeper global integration – SABECO has been both a witness and a companion to the nation’s economic journey. Vietnamese beer bottles have appeared in family gatherings, Lunar New Year celebrations, and football victories, in both big cities and rural villages, becoming part of the country’s collective memory.

Reaching its 150-year milestone, SABECO chose a distinctive approach to celebration: transforming a birthday event into a year-long campaign that combines brand revitalisation with messages of sustainability and national progress.

The campaign, themed “150 Years of a Living Legacy: Ever Growing, Ever Reaching,” was designed as a cross-country journey that connects SABECO’s legacy with local communities and the development stories of different regions.

A key highlight is Legacy On The Move, a mobile exhibition on a bus that blends a mini museum with a city tour, travelling through nine provinces and cities from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi over two months.

Inside, visitors can explore SABECO’s 150-year history, its modernisation efforts, environmental initiatives, and stories of community engagement. At each stop, smart recycling machines for cans and bottles encourage responsible consumption behaviours.

Accompanying the bus tour is a series of Legacy Nights held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long, Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, and Hanoi. These events allow the public to walk through five experiential spaces, including a 150-step heritage walkway, brand exhibits for Bia Saigon, 333, and Lac Viet, and a Legacy of Stewardship zone dedicated to sustainability.

At the community level, SABECO collaborated with Dai Doan Ket newspaper and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to launch the National Progress Ambassador Awards, honouring 150 unsung heroes who have quietly contributed to national development. The 15 most inspiring stories were selected through public voting.

SABECO CEO Lester Tan said, “The 150-year celebration is not only a tribute to the past but also a commitment to the future. The company aims to be remembered not only for what we have brewed, but for what we have contributed to Vietnam’s story.”

STRATEGY FOR MEASURABLE RESULTS

While the 150-year journey highlights SABECO’s companionship with the nation, its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy demonstrates how the company is transforming that legacy into concrete actions aligned with Vietnam’s green growth agenda, circular economy orientation, and the national commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.

In 2023, SABECO signed an MoU with SP Group to install rooftop solar systems at nine breweries, increasing the total number of breweries using solar energy to 17 out of 26 – nearly two-thirds of the network. These installations are expected to supply around 23 per cent of electricity demand at the facilities, equivalent to almost 25 million kWh per year, reducing approximately 18,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually and contributing to the company’s net-zero roadmap.

According to the latest data shared at the 2025 Sustainable Business Forum, by the end of 2024 almost two-thirds of SABECO breweries had rooftop solar energy, enabling around 40 per cent of total production energy to come from renewable sources.

In addition, two-thirds of waste is recycled or reused, water consumption per unit of product decreased 7.3 per cent compared to 2023, and total greenhouse gas emissions fell 9.3 per cent from the baseline.

Another report shows that within two years, SABECO reduced water usage from approximately 3 litres per litre of beer to 2.6 litres, while its emissions intensity fell from 9.18kg CO₂e/hl to 7.76kg CO₂e/hl. Solar power output doubled as 12 out of 26 breweries were equipped with rooftop systems.

These figures demonstrate that SABECO is steadily transitioning towards a circular operating model – with sustainable packaging, can recycling, water recovery systems, biomass boilers, and LPG-powered forklifts replacing diesel, collectively reducing thousands more tons of CO₂ yearly.

SABECO also participates in initiatives such as Packaging Recycling Organisation Vietnam, founded in 2019, and implements extended producer responsibility for packaging, from design to post-consumer collection and processing.

The social pillar of SABECO’s ESG strategy is reflected in wide-reaching community programmes nationwide. These include accompanying Vietnamese football, livelihood support, social welfare initiatives, and other schemes promoting green consumption.

The perspective also inspired SABECO to create the National Progress Ambassador Awards as part of its 150-year campaign, highlighting everyday individuals whose actions embody social responsibility and sustainable development.

On governance, SABECO aims for international standards of transparency and risk management. All breweries have ISO certifications for food safety and environmental management. The supply chain is assessed on ESG criteria, requiring suppliers to comply with strict labour, environmental, and ethical standards.

The company also operates internal whistleblowing channels, anti-corruption mechanisms, and conflict-of-interest controls to strengthen system-wide transparency.

Notably, in 2024 SABECO released its first standalone Sustainability Report aligned with GRI standards and established a Sustainability and Risk Governance Committee. ESG indicators have been integrated into departmental KPIs, turning sustainability from a slogan into a core performance metric.

Thanks to these efforts, SABECO has been recognised for many consecutive years in the Top 100 Sustainable Businesses in Vietnam, and has earned multiple ESG-related awards from domestic and international organisations.

TOWARDS A GREEN FUTURE

Moving into a new stage of development, SABECO aims to maintain its leading position in Vietnam’s beer market and meet global sustainability standards, amid intense competition with multinational groups and mounting green transition pressures.

At the 2024 AGM, the company targeted revenue of over VND34 trillion ($1.29 billion) and post-tax profit of VND4.58 trillion ($173.66 million), focusing on commercial optimisation, supply chain efficiency, and accelerated ESG implementation. Green transformation and energy efficiency are considered dual levers that both reduce operating costs and strengthen reputation with consumers and international partners.

Even within the 150-year celebration events, sustainability messages were embedded in every detail – from art installations made of recycled beer cans and smart recycling stations, to promotional campaigns on waste sorting and responsible consumption. This reflects how SABECO leverages its brand power to inspire behavioural change at scale.

From a policy perspective, SABECO’s strategy aligns with Vietnam’s national directions, including the Green Growth Strategy 2021–2030, the commitment to net-zero by 2050, and the roadmap for packaging. As a market leader actively investing in renewable energy, water optimisation, emissions reduction, and ESG governance, SABECO is helping drive sustainable transformation across the beverage and food sectors.

As consumers increasingly favour responsible brands and export markets tighten ESG standards, SABECO’s 150-year story is shifting from a beer legacy to a sustainability legacy. From a small ice workshop in Saigon, the company now stands poised to continue its journey with the nation – this time on the path of green growth and the circular economy.

As explained by CEO Tan, “This spirit of rising together links SABECO’s past and future – from the early brewers of late 19th-century Saigon to today’s engineers and ESG specialists operating renewable energy systems and circular economy programmes.”