Since acquiring brewer Sabeco in 2017, the company of Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi has received a total of VND9.3 trillion ($383 million) in cash dividends.

Sabeco, the Saigon Beer brewer, plans to distribute VND1.92 trillion in cash dividends to its shareholders this year. The most significant shareholder, Viet Beverage, holding a 53.6% stake and a subsidiary of Sirivadhanabhakdi’s Thai Beverage, will receive VND1.03 trillion. Consequently, the overall cash dividend Thai Beverage has garnered from Sabeco since 2017 amounts to VND9.3 trillion.

This dividend alone constitutes 8.4% of Thai Beverage’s VND110 trillion investment in the company. Sabeco has consistently provided cash dividends to its shareholders in recent years to establish a sustainable and growing source of cash. Thai Beverage CEO Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi previously described Sabeco as a “crown jewel” and a unique asset among brewers in Southeast Asia.

Despite Vietnam being the largest beer market in Southeast Asia in 2021, valued at $26 billion, Sabeco has witnessed a 26% year-on-year post-tax profit decline in the first nine months to VND3.3 trillion, attributed to decreased demand amid Vietnam’s stricter anti drink-driving laws.