Last month, Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth made an official visit to Vietnam to celebrate fifty years of diplomatic relations between the countries.
One of the first Western nations to establish formal ties with Vietnam in 1971, they established a strategic partnership to address climate change, energy, the environment, and sustainable growth in 2011. In addition to working visits related to those collaborations, during his visit, the Crown Prince took part in a unique celebration of one of the country’s most famous brands: Carlsberg.
Art collector and philanthropist, J. C. Jacobsen, founded Carlsberg in 1847 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the ensuing 150 years it expanded to produce and distribute a variety of beloved beers including fellow-Danish brand Tuborg, Russia's best-selling beer Baltika and Kronenbourg Brewery’s 1664 White from France.
In 1993, Carlsberg was the first danish multi-national to enter Vietnam via a joint venture with Hue Brewery Limited, the producers of Huda that evolved into outright ownership. Since then it also acquired a minority stake in Ha Long Brewing Company. Considering the popularity of Carlsberg’s namesake beer here as well as other entires in their portfolio, it made sense that the Crown Prince would help celebrate the brand’s 175th anniversary here in Vietnam.
The President of Carlsberg Group, Cees 't Hart, and the group’s Vietnam Managing Director, Mr. Onno Rombouts were joined in Saigon by the Danish Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Nicolai Prytz and various national and municipal authorities and representatives for the occasion. An interactive “mini-brewery” taught guests the basics of brewing beer and a special setup engraved custom cans with attendees’ names. Elsewhere in the city, an innovative billboard was erected that gave free beer to people that could pronounce the notoriously difficult-to-pronounce name.
The event also marked the official launch of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner in Vietnam for the first time. The smooth, balanced lager aims to appeal to a variety of drinkers with its full, refreshing taste and subtle sweetness and hop aroma. Local beer lovers can now find it at various restaurants and stores around the country. At the anniversary celebration, Cees ‘t Hart said: “For Carlsberg, the pursuit of better beer is in our DNA. More than 100 years after our founder J.C. Jacobsen mastered the art of brewing great beer at a high and honorable level, as he put it himself, our Carlsberg Danish Pilsner brings together the advancement of brewing science and finest of ingredients .... Some would say it is probably the best beer in the world and we would definitely agree.”
Carlsberg’s guiding principle has always been “Brewing for a better today and tomorrow.” This optimistic and forward-looking slogan aligns well with the decades of collaboration between Denmark and Vietnam. Thus it seems perfectly fitting that Denmark’s Crown Prince would lift a glass of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner during his visit to celebrate their nations’ relationship seems right at home.
