Cambodia, Vietnam seek $20B trade, more investment

Cambodia, Vietnam seek $20B trade, more investment

Vuthy reiterates the government’s commitment to supporting the private sector and addressing investor concerns to boost operational efficiency and strengthen market confidence.

Cambodia is calling on Vietnamese investors to expand into agro-processing and high-value manufacturing as the two countries seek to deepen investment ties and raise bilateral trade to $20 billion.

The call was made on Monday during a dialogue between Vietnamese businesses and the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) themed “Accompanying – Resolving Issues – Connecting – Developing”.

The event at the CDC headquarters was co-organised alongside the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC), the Vietnam-Cambodia Business Association (VCBA), and the Vietnamese Embassy’s economic and trade offices.

Key attendees included Secretary-General of the Cambodian Investment Board (CIB) of the CDC Chea Vuthy, Vice-President of the CCC Tan Monivann, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Minh Vu.

They were joined by VCBA President Leng Rithy, along with representatives from various government ministries and institutions.

According to a CDC statement, the discussion aimed to provide a platform for direct dialogue among the Vietnamese business community in Cambodia, the CDC, the CCC, and relevant government ministries and institutions to identify challenges facing the private sector, seek solutions, and improve businesses’ understanding of policies related to investment and business operations in Cambodia.

Speaking at the event, Vuthy reaffirmed the Royal Government’s commitment to supporting the private sector and addressing the concerns of investors to improve business efficiency and strengthen investor confidence.

“The top leadership of both countries is committed to promoting trade activities between Cambodia and Vietnam, particularly by increasing bilateral trade volume to $20 billion,” he said.

Vuthy specifically identified cashew nuts, cassava, rice, rubber and plantation timber as areas with opportunities for further processing and value addition.

“Vietnamese investors should consider investing in processing raw materials into finished products,” Vuthy said, urging companies to prepare and submit investment project registration applications to the CDC.

He also highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen the CDC’s “One-Stop Service” mechanism to make investment services faster and more efficient.

On his part, Ambassador Vu welcomed the cooperation between the CDC and the Vietnam-Cambodia Business Association in facilitating dialogue with Vietnamese businesses and commended the CDC for its efforts to help resolve challenges facing Vietnamese investors.

He said economic, trade and investment cooperation remains a key area of bilateral relations.

According to the VNA in Phnom Penh, Cambodia-Vietnam bilateral trade reached a projected record of $11.33 billion in 2025. Trade continued to grow during the first eight months of 2026, reaching $8.67 billion, up 8.3 percent from the same period last year.

Vietnamese investment in Cambodia also remains significant, with 223 investment projects and registered capital of nearly $3.4 billion, according to Vietnamese data.

However, Vu said the investment potential for Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia remains substantial and has yet to match the potential offered by the two countries’ close relations.

“The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia has worked with the CDC, ministries and other institutions in both countries to promote trade and investment, including a business forum on April 22 that attracted more than 200 business representatives from Cambodia and Vietnam,” he said.

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