Trade between Cambodia, Vietnam set for expansion

Trade between Cambodia, Vietnam set for expansion

Economic and investment cooperation between the countries has grown rapidly in recent years, becoming one of the major pillars of economic cooperation in the Mekong sub-region.

Cambodia and Vietnam yesterday committed to further expanding trade cooperation to achieve the target of $20 billion in the near future.

The commitment was made during a meeting between Hun Sen, Acting Head of State of Cambodia, and Trinh Van Quyet, Member of the Politburo and Chairman of the Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), at the Senate Palace in Phnom Penh.

Soon after the meeting, Senate spokesman Chea Thyrith told reporters that Mr Hun Sen viewed Trinh Van Quyet’s visit as an important contribution to strengthening the long-standing friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam, particularly within party-to-party relations.

According to Thyrith, Van Quyet said Cambodia and Vietnam continue to maintain strong cooperation across legislative and executive institutions, while people-to-people ties between the two nations have also steadily deepened.

The two countries have exchanged many high-level visits over the years, reflecting the strength of bilateral relations. “Both countries are preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Vietnam in 2027, with commemorative activities expected to be jointly organised,” added Thyrith.

Van Quyet also highlighted the importance of border cooperation, noting that both countries have worked together to maintain peace, stability, and security along the shared border while improving the livelihoods of border communities.

On his part, Mr Hun Sen said Cambodia has consistently encouraged authorities in border provinces to strengthen cooperation with their Vietnamese counterparts. “The core relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam remains closely linked to economic, trade, and investment cooperation,” he said, adding, “We want to see trade between Cambodia and Vietnam reach $20 billion in the future, as both countries have committed to.”

More importantly, Mr Hun Sen noted that the target is achievable as bilateral trade has continued to grow steadily each year, with total trade volume reaching around $11 billion in 2025, so both sides must continue working to further expand trade and investment cooperation in the coming years.

He also highlighted growing youth exchanges between Cambodia and Vietnam, saying such cooperation has helped bring the younger generations of the two countries closer together.

In response, Van Quyet expressed satisfaction with Mr Hun Sen’s remarks regarding the expansion of trade between Cambodia and Vietnam, stating that both countries are fully capable of achieving the target of $20 billion in bilateral trade in the near future.

According to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on Tuesday, Vietnam-Cambodia trade ties have grown rapidly in recent years, becoming one of the major pillars of economic cooperation in the Mekong sub-region. Two-way trade reached $10.1 billion in 2024 and surpassed $11 billion in 2025. The two countries are targeting $20 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 through stronger official trade channels, logistics development and deeper regional supply chain integration.

Vietnam’s key exports to Cambodia include textiles and garments, steel products, petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, and processed food products. Meanwhile, Vietnam mainly imports cashew nuts, rubber, agricultural products, and industrial production materials from Cambodia.

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