Cambodia and Vietnam have held discussions to explore the possibility of establishing more dialogue mechanisms between their governments and private sectors, particularly with the goal of expanding the presence of Vietnamese investors in Cambodia.
This comes as trade between the two countries in the first eight months of 2025 exceeded $5.5 billion.
According from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), discussions took place during an October 2 bilateral meeting between Sun Chanthol, CDC first vice-president, and Nguyen Minh Vu, Vietnamese ambassador to Cambodia.
The CDC stated that key topics discussed during the meeting included Cambodia-Vietnam bilateral cooperation in economic sectors, investment, trade and cross-border transportation, as well as the current global situation, which continues to experience rapid changes and thus requires nations to be well-prepared and highly adaptable.
Ambassador Nguyen commended the CDC for breaking investment project approval records in 2024 and for potentially setting new records in 2025. He believed these achievements demonstrate Cambodia’s strong commitment to improving its investment climate, making it more attractive and trustworthy for foreign direct investment (FDI).
Chanthol welcomed the ambassador to Cambodia and expressed his hopes that he would contribute to strengthening the close and friendly relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam, bringing greater mutual benefits.
“The CDC, which serves as the government’s single-window for investment coordination, is always ready to facilitate all private investment operations from all friendly countries. Our aim is to ensure a flexible, effective, and most favorable investment environment for all investors,” he said.
According to the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE), Vietnam is the Kingdom’s third-largest trading partner.
In the first eight months of 2025, total bilateral trade reached $5.59 billion, up 6.8% over the same period in 2024. Cambodia exported $2.75 billion worth of goods to Vietnam (an increase of 11.5%), while imports were $2.84 billion (up 2.6%).
Hong Vanak, an economist at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told The Post on October 3 that although Cambodia’s trade with some countries had declined, its trade volume with Vietnam remained strong. He attributed this positive trend to the shared border, strong diplomatic relations and Cambodia’s increasing production capacity, especially in agricultural products.
“Based on geography and diplomatic ties, the volume of trade between the two countries will continue to grow,” he said.
The “Cambodia-Vietnam Trade Promotion Programme” was held in Phnom Penh on August 28. It served as a platform for entrepreneurs, traders and businesspeople from both countries to meet, share ideas and explore opportunities for partnerships.
During the event, Seang Thai, secretary of state at the Ministry of Commerce, noted that the strong relationship between the governments and people of Cambodia and Vietnam plays a key role in accelerating bilateral cooperation in all sectors.
He added that today’s fast-changing geopolitical and economic context compels countries to build trust and friendship through effective cross-border trade networks, improvements in transport infrastructure and value-added agricultural production, all of which are crucial for economic growth and improving people’s livelihoods.
