Cambodia, Viet Nam Reaffirm ‘Special Good-Neighborliness,’ Set $20B Trade Goal

PHNOM PENH, Feb 9, 2026 (KPT) – Cambodia and Viet Nam reaffirmed their “special good-neighborliness” and agreed on an ambitious agenda to deepen cooperation in trade, border connectivity, and economic integration during the State Visit of To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, to Phnom Penh.

At the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni, To Lam arrived Friday for high-level talks with Cambodian leaders. His program included tributes at national monuments, including the Cambodia–Viet Nam Friendship Monument, underscoring historic ties between the two nations.

In talks with Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, acting as Head of State, both sides hailed the positive trajectory of political, economic, social, and cultural cooperation.

Hun Sen congratulated Viet Nam on sustaining over 8% growth in 2025 and To Lam’s re-election as party leader, while To Lam praised Cambodia’s progress under King Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Manet, noting its ambition to become a high-income nation by 2050.

The two countries agreed to pursue a bilateral trade target of US$20 billion, backed by new facilitation measures and the 2025–2026 Bilateral Trade Enhancement Arrangement.

They welcomed the opening of the Meun Chey–Tan Nam International Border Checkpoint and pledged to upgrade other crossings, while advancing plans for a new inland waterway checkpoint.

Both sides also encouraged progress on the Phnom Penh–Bavet–Ho Chi Minh City–Moc Bai Expressway, a strategic link expected to boost cross-border flows of goods, services, and people.

Commitments were made to expand cooperation in agriculture, energy, logistics, digital economy, finance, and tourism, alongside education, healthcare, and youth exchanges.

The joint statement reaffirmed shared commitments to ASEAN unity and regional stability, particularly in the South China Sea. To Lam concluded his visit by inviting King Sihamoni to pay a State Visit to Viet Nam, further cementing the enduring friendship between the two nations.