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Key Vietnamese Party official’s trip to Cambodia deepens political trust, multifaceted cooperation
The ongoing official visit to Cambodia by Politburo member and Permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu is poised to deepen political trust and drive stronger all-around cooperation between the two countries.
The visit, following Tu’s official trip to Laos, is made at the invitation of Samdech Say Chhum, Vice President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and Chairman of the Standing Board of the CPP Central Committee.
Good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability deepen further
Over nearly six decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations on June 24, 1967, Vietnam and Cambodia have built a relationship rooted in solidarity, friendship, and shared history. Their bond was forged during struggles for national independence and further strengthened during Cambodia’s victory over the Pol Pot genocidal regime, with the support of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts. This legacy stands not only as a testament to the solidarity between Vietnam and Cambodia, but also as a symbol of sincere international solidarity.
The leaders and peoples of the two countries have continuously nurtured their good neighbourliness and friendship. Vietnam has always attached importance to its relations with Cambodia, as well as the solidarity and close ties among Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Meanwhile, Cambodia has consistently fostered friendship and cooperation between the two Parties, Governments, and peoples.
In 2005, the two countries’ high-ranking leaders agreed on a new guiding principle for developing the bilateral relations: “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability.” Since then, the relationship has steadily deepened across multiple sectors, with political and diplomatic relations playing a central role.
All-level exchanges have been maintained, while bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been implemented across channels. Notably, the annual high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)'s Politburo and the Standing Board of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) Central Committee has become a hallmark of bilateral cooperation. This mechanism has contributed to further strengthening political trust, as well as guiding and aligning the long-term direction for Vietnam–Cambodia cooperation.
During Party General Secretary To Lam’s recent state visit to Cambodia, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to ushering in a new phase of cooperation. They agreed to strengthen political ties as the foundation of bilateral relations, enhance coordination in maintaining political stability and security, and further integrate their economies. At a trilateral meeting of the Party leaders of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos on February 6, 2026, the three sides also agreed to further reinforce solidarity, maintain regular consultations, and closely coordinate to safeguard each country’s legitimate interests, while preserving a peaceful and stable environment conducive to development.
In addition, Vietnam and Cambodia have also convened key bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the 21st meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, and Scientific-Technological Cooperation on December 9, 2025 in Siem Reap and the 13th Conference on Cooperation and Development between their border provinces on November 27–28, 2025 in Phnom Penh.
Defence and security cooperation has continued to serve as a pillar, becoming increasingly close and substantive. The two sides reaffirmed the principle of not allowing any hostile forces to use one country’s territory to undermine the security of the other.
Beyond bilateral mechanisms, the two countries have also closely coordinated at international, regional, and subregional forums, particularly within ASEAN, the UN and Mekong subregional cooperation frameworks, thereby contributing to ASEAN’s collective efforts to maintain peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
Economic, trade, and investment cooperation has emerged as a key highlight in the bilateral relations. Vietnam is currently Cambodia’s third-largest trading partner globally and its largest within ASEAN. Bilateral trade has averaged around 10 billion USD annually in recent years, reaching 11.3 billion USD in 2025. The two sides aim to raise bilateral trade turnover to 20 billion USD in the near future.
Vietnam is running 229 valid projects totaling nearly 2.94 billion USD in Cambodia, ranking among the top five foreign investors in the neighbouring country. Vietnamese enterprises have played an important role in promoting Cambodia’s economic growth, and also contributed to job creation for Cambodian people and and social welfare activities.
Tourism cooperation is also flourishing. In 2025, nearly 700,000 Cambodian visitors traveled to Vietnam, while over 1.22 million Vietnamese tourists visited Cambodia, making Vietnam the largest source of international tourists to the country.
Collaboration in education, transport, culture, healthcare, and telecommunications continues to expand, alongside growing people-to-people exchanges, especially among young people. These interactions are helping to build a solid social foundation for the bilateral friendship.
Promoting Vietnam–Cambodia relations in new phase of development
The Vietnamese key Party official’s visits marks his first overseas trip in his current role following the 14th National Party Congress and comes shortly after Vietnam completed the consolidation of key leadership positions for the 2026–2031 term. The trip underscores Vietnam’s strong commitment and high prioprity to enhancing traditional friendship and cooperation with Cambodia.
According to Nguyen Manh Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tu’s ongoing official visit follows the highly successful state visits by Party General Secretary To Lam to Laos and Cambodia in February 2026. It clearly demonstrates the continuity and consistency in implementing the CPV’s foreign policy.
The is not only reflects policy inheritance but also translates high-level commitments into concrete actions, creating new momentum for cooperation among Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Amid rapidly evolving, complex, and unpredictable regional and global developments, strengthening ties among the three countries is essential—especially as all of them are advancing development, modernisation, and deep international integration, which require close coordination to seize opportunities, mitigate risks, and promote development, Cuong said.
Therefore, Tu’s visits to Laos and Cambodia not only holds diplomatic significance but also marks an important milestone, helping shape a new direction for Vietnam–Laos and Vietnam–Cambodia relations in the time to come, he added.
During the visit, the two sides are expected to review and discuss the implementation of agreements reached at at recent high-level meetings, with a focus on practical and people-centred cooperation in areas such as connectivity infrastructure, border trade, education, and digital transformation./.
