Vietnam Pledges Increased Investment in Cambodia, Boosting Economic Cooperation

Cambodian National Assembly President Khuon Sodary held a cordial meeting and working discussion with H.E. Le Minh Hung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on the afternoon of July 28, 2026. This meeting took place during President Sodary's official and friendship visit to Vietnam, leading a high-level delegation from the Cambodian National Assembly. President Sodary expressed profound gratitude to Prime Minister Hung for taking time out of his busy schedule to welcome the Cambodian parliamentary delegation. The meeting served as clear testimony to the depth of the "traditional friendship, good neighborliness, and comprehensive, steadfast, and long-term strategic cooperation" between the two nations, who have always stood together through thick and thin, especially in difficult times. H.E. Le Minh Hung extended a warm welcome to President Sodary and the entire delegation for their official and friendship visit to Vietnam. He affirmed that Vietnam unswervingly supports and cooperates with Cambodia under the leadership of H.E. Hun Sen, President of the Senate, and H.E. Hun Manet, Prime Minister. H.E. Hung expressed firm confidence that under the correct leadership of the Cambodian People's Party, which enjoys full support, Cambodia will undoubtedly achieve its development goals. Vietnam will continue to implement the consensus reached between the leadership of Cambodia and Vietnam, and collectively among the leaders of the three countries—Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam—during the meeting held in Cambodia in February 2026. President Sodary informed the Prime Minister of the renewed affirmation from the President of Vietnam, whom she had met and discussed matters with that morning, clearly emphasizing bilateral cooperation between the legislative and executive institutions at both national and sub-national levels. President Sodary highly valued the meeting between Prime Minister Hun Manet and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung in June 2026, which underscored profound significance and yielded important results in strengthening bilateral relations and expanding comprehensive cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges. The leaders of both countries pledged high commitment to economic integration, infrastructure connectivity, and security to promote people-to-people relations and bilateral trade, aiming to achieve a trade volume of $20 billion in the future. H.E. Le Minh Hung informed President Sodary that following successive agreements with H.E. Prime Minister Hun Manet, he has instructed all relevant ministries and institutions to urgently implement all agreements to serve the interests of both countries. He requested President Sodary to continue encouraging further official visits and experience exchanges between the leaders of both nations. Vietnam also supports projects to promote small and medium-sized enterprises in Cambodia. Concurrently, the Vietnamese side thanked Cambodia for its support and cooperation in the mission to search for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Cambodia. The National Assembly congratulates and supports the vision of the heads of government of both countries. Vietnam is a significant trading partner for Cambodia, and bilateral trade volume has been steadily increasing and exceeding expectations. In 2025, the trade volume between the two countries increased to $11.33 billion, and in 2026, it is expected to rise to over $12 billion. Cambodia and Vietnam are committed to expanding cooperation and accelerating trade volume to reach $20 billion in the near future. President Sodary emphasized that Cambodia welcomes and will continue to provide further facilitation for foreign investors and Vietnamese tourists to invest and visit Cambodia in greater numbers. She requested Vietnam to explore further investment opportunities in Cambodia, including in agriculture, education, technology, and innovation. Beyond trade, during the occasion, President Sodary highly valued the human resource development cooperation between the two countries. She expressed gratitude to Vietnam for its attention to the living conditions of Cambodian students and trainees studying in Vietnam. Vietnam will continue to provide scholarships and training courses to Cambodian students and civil servants to enhance Cambodia's human capital. Concurrently, President Sodary encouraged relevant authorities from both countries to continue timely information sharing and cooperate in taking firm measures to prevent cross-border crimes such as drug offenses, human trafficking, and technological fraud. She continued that in facing obstacles from neighboring aggressions as well as global wars, Cambodia has strived to strengthen national solidarity and resilience, transforming obstacles into opportunities for national development. Prime Minister Hun Manet is promoting national economic growth by focusing on human resources and strengthening SMEs, among other measures, to achieve the development goals of 2030 and 2050 and become a developed country. President Sodary expressed profound gratitude to Vietnam for supporting the peaceful resolution of the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute and for participating in the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT). She requested continued Vietnamese support for Cambodia's peace process efforts, particularly the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the role of AOT. Vietnam has confidence and is ready to participate in ensuring that Cambodia and Thailand resolve their issues peacefully in the near future. By: Bunrith © All rights reserved by the National News Agency of Cambodia 2018