We were lucky enough to be offered a guided tour of SABACO Brewery this morning in Cu Chi, Vietnam. I have been to many brewery tours in my life but never to the scale of this size. We were shown step by step how the product is produced and the process it takes for the different varieties. In addition to this plant providing the largest supply of the most popular beers in Vietnam, they are also the gatekeepers of the key ingredients for the other brewery locations. One thing i noticed was how different the quality control measures were vs. in the US. The FDA and OSHA regulations are extremely strict in the US, especially around production of food, so to see diesel beer trucks running and loading product in the same room as the beer is being bottled was a bit of a shock. Once again, this is a great point to show the major difference in requirements for international commerce.
After the tour we were allowed to do a sampling and as always, it was one of the best parts. I am very thankful to Royal Haskoning for setting up this opportunity to explore a manufacturing process while we were visiting, allowing us a hands on learning experience instead of just a textbook overview.