HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam said Australia's Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), part of the world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev <ABI.BR>, has expressed its interest in becoming a strategic investor of Vietnam's top brewers Sabeco <SAB.HM> and Habeco <BHN.HM>.
CUB's general director has conveyed the interest to Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue during their meeting in Sydney on Monday, according to a statement on the government's website (www.chinhphu.vn).
CUB was not immediately reachable for comment.
AB InBev has been reported in the media as being among international brewers interested in buying shares of Vietnam's state-controlled Sabeco and Habeco.
Vietnam has one of the world's most attractive beer markets and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia, thanks to a young population that consumed nearly 4 billion litres in 2016. Several foreign brewers - from Kirin <2503.T> to Heineken <HEIN.AS> - have been eyeing Sabeco since it was earmarked for privatisation.
(Reporting by My Pham; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
