Cambodia and Vietnam Bolster Cooperation Against Online Scams

PHNOM PENH, Sept 23, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia and Vietnam pledged to intensify cooperation against online scams and transnational crime, officials said Wednesday, after their law-enforcement agencies jointly dismantled four scam operations and five major drug-trafficking cases. The commitment was underscored during talks between Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Sokha and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Long, held on the sidelines of Phnom Penh’s International Conference on Combating Online Scams. Vietnam hailed Cambodia’s campaign against scam compounds as proof of strong enforcement, while praising joint efforts to prevent and intercept cross-border criminal activity. Nguyen Van Long urged deeper intelligence sharing and coordinated investigations, particularly to pursue suspects who cross the border to evade law enforcement. He also asked Cambodia to continue safeguarding Vietnamese citizens in the kingdom, including migrants, investors and tourists. Sokha welcomed Vietnam’s participation in the conference and highlighted recent crackdowns at casino sites in border provinces, achieved through information exchange. He called for tighter border security to block illegal movements of people, goods and prohibited materials, and requested Vietnamese support for drug-rehabilitation projects and training programs to boost Cambodian capacity. Both sides said their cooperation mechanisms had helped prevent crimes and dismantle networks through coordinated enforcement. The meeting coincided with Phnom Penh’s two-day anti-scam conference, which gathered governments, international organisations and law-enforcement agencies under the theme “Acting Together Towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams.”