The Saigon Beer production line at one of SABECO’s breweries. — Photos courtesy of SABECO

HÀ NỘI — As Việt Nam pursues ambitious growth targets while ensuring long-term sustainability, the role of large businesses is increasingly being measured not only by their financial performance and tax contributions, but also by their ability to create jobs, strengthen domestic supply chains and improve the economy’s competitiveness.

With an established business foundation and an extensive nationwide network, Saigon Beer – Alcohol – Beverage Corporation (SABECO) illustrates how a major enterprise can generate economic value across multiple areas.

Large enterprises play an important role in generating State budget revenue, leading industry value chains and creating business opportunities for their partners.

At the 10th announcement ceremony for products recognised under the Vietnam National Brand Programme in 2026, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng emphasised the need to shift from individual development towards greater collaboration and joint efforts to upgrade Vietnamese value chains.

“Large enterprises should lead their ecosystems and support small- and medium-sized enterprises in improving technology, quality and management capacity," the PM said.

"Through healthy cooperation and resource sharing, businesses can build stronger industries and supply chains.”

SABECO is among the businesses contributing to this goal, combining its financial contributions with efforts to support the wider network of suppliers, distributors and other partners connected to its operations.

Economic contributions extend beyond tax payments

According to the recently released VNTAX200 ranking, SABECO ranked 14th among Việt Nam’s 200 largest taxpayers in 2025, with actual tax payments of more than VNĐ14.9 trillion (US$577 million).

The ranking reflects the company’s ability to sustain its operations amid challenges facing the beverage industry and the broader business environment.

SABECO reported net revenue of nearly VNĐ25.9 trillion in 2025, alongside pre-tax profit of VNĐ5.65 trillion and after-tax profit of VNĐ4.57 trillion. Its return on equity (ROE) stood at 19.3 per cent.

While tax payments provide a direct measure of a company’s contribution to public finances, the broader economic impact of major businesses such as SABECO also lies in the value chains and business networks they support nationwide.

In 2025, 94 per cent of SABECO’s total procurement spending went to domestic partners and suppliers. More than 85 per cent of its core raw-material suppliers were Vietnamese businesses.

Prioritising domestic suppliers helps circulate business revenue through local production networks, supporting sectors including manufacturing, packaging, transportation and logistics.

The company also provides jobs for more than 7,700 people through its breweries and nationwide distribution network. Its extensive value chain generates business opportunities for a range of partners, from raw-material suppliers and transport operators to distributors and retailers.

Investing in long-term competitiveness

To sustain their economic contributions over time, manufacturing businesses must look beyond their existing scale. Adapting to market changes, improving productivity and expanding business opportunities are essential to maintaining competitiveness.

At SABECO, this approach is reflected in increased investment in research and development (R&D), production technology, operational efficiency and export expansion.

SABECO deploys supply chain management systems to strengthen operational oversight.

The company is accelerating digital transformation across its value chain, deploying warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS) and commercial data platforms to improve operational monitoring, control costs and support decision-making.

Alongside consolidating its domestic market position, SABECO is expanding its export business. In the first half of 2026, export turnover reached 139 per cent of its target for the period, marking a 221.2 per cent increase year-on-year.

The company aims to increase the contribution of export markets to double-digit levels over the next five years.

As Việt Nam pursues its next phase of economic growth, businesses capable of generating value across multiple areas are expected to play an increasingly important role.

Beyond contributing to State budget revenue, they can help strengthen domestic production, create jobs, support supply chain partners and improve the economy’s overall competitiveness.

The SABECO-owned Saigon Beer brewery in Củ Chi in HCM City.

Speaking about the company’s future direction, SABECO General Director Lester Tan said: “For SABECO, our ambition is clear: to continue preserving our proud heritage in Việt Nam while constantly strengthening our capabilities and developing our brands to establish our position on the international stage.

“That is how we see our role as a Vietnamese beer brand and how we will continue to accompany the country’s development under the spirit of ‘Việt Nam, Side by Side, Moving Forward’.”

With its established business foundation, extensive domestic partnerships and focus on future investment, SABECO illustrates how a major enterprise can contribute to Việt Nam’s economic development over the long term. — VNS