Over the past years, Vietnam and Cambodia have boosted cooperation in all fields, especially in investment and trade. Two-way trade reached 3.8 billion US dollars in 2017, up 30 percent year-on-year. The figure topped 2.7 billion US dollars in the first seven months of 2018, up 19 percent from a year earlier. The two countries are striving to raise the figure to 5 billion US dollars in the coming years.

Vietnam has invested in 206 projects worth 3.02 billion US dollars in Cambodia, making it one of the five biggest foreign direct investors in the latter. Cambodian investment in Vietnam has also been rising, with 18 projects worth 58.12 million US dollars.

Investment and business activities of Vietnamese firms have been highly valued by Cambodian leaders, and they have helped with local social welfare and development.

The Vietnamese and Cambodian Prime Ministers review the honor guard of the Vietnam People’s Army at the welcome ceremony for PM Samdech Techo Hun Sen. Photo: Van Diep/VNA Before their talks at the Government Office. Photo: Van Diep/VNA The two Prime Ministers hold talks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA  The two leaders hold a press conference after their talks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong has a reception for the Cambodian Prime Minister. Photo: Phuong Hoa/VNA National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan receives Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA The two Prime Ministers witness the signing ceremony of a MoU on the completion of negotiations on a border trade agreement between Vietnam and Cambodia. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA They witness the signing of an agreement of the implementation of a project using Vietnam’s non-refundable aid for Cambodia to build some items in the community-based voluntary drug detoxification center project in Preah Sihanouk province. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA TThey also witness the signing of an MoU on educational cooperation between the two countries. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA The two leaders attend the Vietnam - Cambodia Business Forum. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA The Cambodian Prime Minister poses for a photo with members of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association and former Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Cambodia. Photo: Van Diep/VNA

In 2017, more than 835,000 Vietnamese visited Cambodia, making Vietnam the country’s second largest source of foreign tourists. Vietnam Airlines is currently operating 6-10 flights daily from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

The two sides have also boosted economic and transport links to tap each country’s strength, including signing a Joint Framework Agreement on Cambodia-Vietnam Economic Connectivity in July 2017; finalizing the negotiation of the government-level MoU on the Vietnam-Cambodia transport cooperation strategy for 2018-2025 with a vision to 2030; inaugurating the Long Binh (An Giang)-Chrey Thom (Kandal) bridge in April 2017; and opening to traffic the international border gates of Le Thanh - Oyadav in Vietnam’s Gia Lai province and Cambodian province of Ratanakiri in July 2017.

The two countries will step up collaboration in education, training, capacity building, agro-forestry-fisheries, culture-arts, and people-to-people exchange.

They will further enhance defense-security cooperation to firmly safeguard each country’s peace, security and stability.

The two countries will also work towards the signing of two documents to officially legalizing the completion of 84 percent of the border demarcation and border marker planting in 2019, thereby helping build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

The Cambodian Prime Minister’s official visit to Vietnam has created a momentum for enhancing the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.