Heineken opens Southeast Asia’s biggest brewery in southern Vietnam

Heineken Vietnam inaugurated an expanded brewery in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province Saturday, saying it was the the biggest in Southeast Asia and used 100% renewable energy.

The Dutch brewer had bought the plant, which had an annual capacity of 30 million liters, from Danish brand Carlsberg in 2016.

In early 2020, local authorities approved the company to increase its investment in the Heineken Vietnam-Vung Tau factory by VND1,650 billion ($69.59 million) to VND9,151 billion ($386 million).

With the new investment, the plant’s annual output has now been increased more than threefold to 1.1 billion liters of beer, becoming the biggest in Southeast Asia and running completely on renewable energy.

The 40-hectare factory, Heineken’s sixth in Vietnam, has a high rate of automation with just 260 staff. Waste and byproducts are reused or recycled.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam praised the plant as a modern, high-tech facility that uses clean energy, saves water and follows the green dveelopment model.

“This shows Heneiken’s move is in line with Vietnam’s efforts to combat climate change,” he said.

Beer consumption in Vietnam reached 3.9 billion liters in 2021, down 0.4% year-on-year, according to brokerage house MB Securities. It attributed the slight fall to Covid-19 precautions and the imposition of high penalties for drunk driving per a decree issued in 2020.

Beer production in Vietnam jumped 14.2% year-on-year to 2.6 billion liters in the first six months of this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).