Vietnamese businesses have been warned of being taken over by foreign conglomerates.

The plunge in the valuation of SAB shares on the transaction session of April 18 sent VND10.13 trillion ($440.4 million) of Sabeco's charter capital disappear in a puff of smoke.

The Ha Noi Beer-Alcohol-Beverage JSC (Habeco) has forecast its post-tax profit will fall 36 per cent year-on-year to VND310 billion (US$13.3 million) in 2019, the lowest in 10 years.

Koh Poh Tiong, chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigon Beer, Alcohol and Beverage (Sabeco), refuted rumours that there are Chinese shareholders on the brewer’s Board of Directors.

Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) has no plan to sell shares to Chinese firms, Sabeco general director Neo Gim Siong Bennett said at the firm’s annual shareholder meeting on April 12.

 The conclusions of the State Audit of Vietnam on the forced collection of tax debts from Unilever Vietnam and Sabeco are reasonable and are not cause for lawsuits, the local media reported, citing SAV auditor general Ho Duc Phoc.

VietNamNet Bridge - After taking over the largest Vietnamese brewer, the Thai owner has made changes from personnel to business strategy.

VietNamNet Bridge - Small enterprises with modest financial capability have spent trillions or hundreds of trillion of dong to buy shares the state divests. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Sabeco, the biggest Vietnamese brewer, has fallen into Thai hands, while Carlsberg is stepping up the process to become a controlling stakeholder in Habeco. 

VietNamNet Bridge - More than 90 percent of the beer market share is now in the hands of the ‘big four’ – Sabeco, Habeco, Heineken and Carlsberg. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Buying into Vietnamese corporations is a way some foreign investors join Vietnam’s industries. The corporations they target are mostly leaders in their fields.

With 4 billion liters of beer consumed every year, Vietnam’s market is a promising one for investors. However, many of them have faced problems.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese beer brands still hold 70 percent of market share, but tastes are changing and people are spending more on high-end products.

VietNamNet Bridge - Euromonitor, in its latest report, commented that Vietnam will be the next major battlefield for brewers. 

According to Ban Viet Securities (VCSC), the Vietnamese beer market is now controlled by Sabeco which holds 40 percent of market share, Heineken 25 percent, Habeco 18 percent and Carlsberg 10.8 percent. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Many Vietnamese famous brands, one after another, are being bought by foreigners. 

Many Vietnamese businesspeople are concerned about the the sale of state enterprises to foreign companies which might eliminate their brands. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Many records related to capital transfer affairs were broken in 2017. 

The biggest M&A deals were in a variety of business fields, especially the real estate and banking sectors.

VietNamNet Bridge - A lucrative beer market with expected high growth rates is the driving force for foreign investors to acquire a stake in Sabeco, the largest Vietnamese brewer.