The reception took place on the occasion of the Vietnamese PM’s trip to Thailand to attend the 8th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 8) and the 9th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9).
The PM spoke highly of ThaiBev’s purchase of 53.59% of the stakes in the Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), with a value of nearly US$5 billion in the largest deal in Asia in late 2017, which was conducted in an open and transparent manner on the bourse. The event affirmed the Vietnamese government’s stance on fighting corruption and negative phenomena in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises.
As it is a high-value deal, the Vietnamese government supports ThaiBev’s in joining Sabeco executive board early in line with Vietnam’s law, he said, expressing his belief that under the direction of ThaiBev, Sabeco would pay higher taxes to the State and abide by corporate operation regulations in accordance with Vietnamese law, while upholding the value of the Sabeco brand for the benefit of investors and Vietnamese brands.
The Vietnamese government consistently follows the principles of equality and openness and protects the legitimate interests of investors, including ThaiBev and Sabeco.
Sirivadhanabhakdi, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese government for supporting ThaiBev in doing business in Vietnam and in successfully purchasing Sabeco stakes in a transparent and open manner.
He said ThaiBev wants to run Sabeco soon and has already prepared high-level personnel and devised a business plan to promote Sabeco’s growth.
ThaiBev expects to build Sabeco into the leading beer brand in Vietnam with better quality and various designs, towards bringing more Sabeco products to the world market.
Speaking highly of the Vietnamese government’s management and policy enforcement, Sirivadhanabhakdi said that Vietnam holds the potential of posting the strongest growth in Southeast Asia.
He wished that the government and agencies concerned would clear any obstacles in terms of taxation and finance for Sabeco.
The corporate leader unveiled that ThaiBev will continue investing in other fields in Vietnam, such as retail and consumer goods, in order to contribute to economic development in the country.
