HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) - A unit of Thai Beverage (>> Thai Beverage Public Company Limited) won the auction to buy a $5 billion (3.74 billion pounds) or 54 percent stake in top brewer Sabeco (>> Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corp) in the country's biggest ever privatisation process, an official from the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange said on Monday.

The anticipated sale of the state-owned maker of Bia Saigon gained momentum in recent months. Thai Beverage emerged as the only buyer for a majority stake as global brewing groups stayed out of the auction.

(Reporting by Mai Nguyen; Editing by Tom Hogue)