Nguyễn Minh Vũ, Ambassador of Việt Nam to Cambodia. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hưng

On the occasion of Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng’s official visit to Cambodia, Nguyễn Minh Vũ, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam to Cambodia, speaks to Việt Nam News Agency correspondents in Phnom Penh about the significance of the visit and prospects for bilateral cooperation.

What is your assessment of the objectives, significance and expectations of PM Lê Minh Hưng’s visit?

PM Lê Minh Hưng’s official visit to Cambodia from Friday to Saturday forms part of his first overseas bilateral visit since taking office earlier this year. The trip clearly demonstrates Việt Nam’s high regard for prioritising neighbourly relations with Cambodia. 

During the upcoming talks and exchanges, I believe PM Hưng and Cambodian leaders will review, remove and resolve outstanding issues and difficulties in bilateral cooperation. This also means translating existing commitments and agreements into concrete actions and results, and identifying new strategic directions and priorities for bilateral relations moving forward.  

A number of Vietnamese leaders from ministries, sectors and localities, as well as Vietnamese businesses, will accompany the PM. The two sides are expected to sign several cooperation documents.

I expect PM Hưng’s first visit to Cambodia to help further consolidate political trust, strengthen cooperation in the economic, cultural and educational fields, and promote people-to-people exchanges, It will also create fresh impetus and momentum for bilateral cooperations to become deeper, more substantive and more effective.

This will be particularly important in promoting economic, trade and investment cooperation, making better use of the complementary strengths of the two economies, and working towards the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to US$20 billion in the near future.

How do you assess the prospects for establishing a Việt Nam–Cambodia “connectivity ecosystem” in the coming period?

Economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation are genuinely bright spots and important areas within the overall relationship between Việt Nam and Cambodia.

In terms of trade, bilateral trade turnover reached a record $11.3 billion last year. In the first eight months this year, it stood at approximately $8.7 billion, up 8.3 per cent year on year. Việt Nam is currently Cambodia’s third-largest trading partner, its second-largest source of imports, and its second-largest export market.

Việt Nam currently has 223 investment projects in Cambodia, with total registered capital of nearly $3.4 billion. These projects not only operate effectively and create jobs for tens of thousands of workers, but also make significant contributions to the Cambodian State budget and provide practical support for social welfare in Cambodia.

PM Lê Minh Hưng’s visit to Cambodia will further strengthen the increasingly close and mutually complementary links between the two economies. It will also open up opportunities to establish a more comprehensive economic connectivity ecosystem between Việt Nam and Cambodia.

First and foremost, this involves connectivity in transport infrastructure. The two sides have agreed on the connecting point for the HCM City–Mộc Bài–Bavet–Phnom Penh expressway, helping ensure that this vital route can be put into operation as planned by the end of next year. In addition, the Khánh Bình–Chrey Thom international border-gate pair was officially inaugurated on October 3 this year. These developments will further facilitate travel, the movement of goods, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Besides road connectivity, the two sides have also developed air links, with numerous direct flights connecting major cities and tourist destinations in the two countries. They are also promoting waterway connectivity, including river transport and maritime routes.

The two sides are also discussing the establishment of a new economic cooperation mechanism to further promote economic, trade and investment relations.

At the same time, the rapid development of global science and technology is encouraging Việt Nam and Cambodia to increase investment in research so that they can keep pace with the development trends of the times.

Khánh Bình International Land Border Gate in An Giang Province is an important trade gateway linking the both countries. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Sang

What is your assessment of the role of young people in continuing, preserving and nurturing the traditional friendship between Việt Nam and Cambodia? What plans does the Embassy have to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, particularly to raise young people’s awareness of the bilateral friendship?

As both countries enter a pivotal stage of development and move towards a new era of development, I attach particular importance to the vital role of young people, including the younger generation, young intellectuals and the next generation of officials. They are at the centre of efforts to carry forward the stream of friendship between Việt Nam and Cambodia.

They will continue the mission of upholding the tradition and passing on historical memories by cherishing and preserving the beautiful history of bilateral relations, while writing new chapters through solidarity, sharing, understanding and mutual respect.

In the coming period, people-to-people exchanges will remain one of the important areas contributing to strengthening the social foundation and fostering lasting bonds between the two countries.

To further deepen awareness and promote people-to-people exchanges, particularly among young people, the Embassy of Việt Nam in Cambodia will focus on implementing the following key directions and activities.

It will closely coordinate with the competent authorities of both countries to renew approaches to educating and communicating the historical traditions to young people. This will include greater use of digital media platforms and social networks to share stories of history, examples of solidarity and close ties, and the achievements of bilateral cooperation in an accessible and engaging manner.

 It will work with youth organisations in the two countries to expand youth exchange programmes and organise both online and in-person youth forums, creating platforms for young people to engage in open discussions and share cooperation initiatives.

It will focus on strengthening links between networks of students studying abroad and alumni from the two countries. This will involve providing practical support for Vietnamese students studying in Cambodia, as well as building and promoting the role of the Association of Cambodian Alumni Who Studied in Việt Nam.

Lastly, it will strengthen connections between young people and the business community by encouraging Vietnamese enterprises in Cambodia to offer scholarships, internships and employment opportunities to Cambodian young people and students.

The traditional friendship between Việt Nam and Cambodia is an invaluable asset of both nations. With the confidence, knowledge and enthusiasm of their young people, I firmly believe that the next generations of the two countries will continue to make this special relationship ever stronger and more fruitful, contributing to peace, stability and the prosperous development of both nations. — VNS