Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the inauguration of the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate pair on December 8. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — The inauguration of the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate pair is expected to deepen the peaceful, friendly and cooperative ties between Việt Nam and Cambodia and to enhance infrastructure connectivity as both sides work towards lifting bilateral trade to US$20 billion.

The announcement was made on Monday at the inauguration ceremony of the Tân Nam International Border Gate in Việt Nam’s Tây Ninh Province and the Meun Chey International Border Gate in Cambodia’s Prey Veng Province, co-chaired by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet.

Tây Ninh, a border province in Việt Nam’s southeastern region along the East–West economic corridor, acts as a strategic gateway linking the southern key economic region with Cambodia and other ASEAN countries. The province shares a 368-kilometre border with Cambodia, adjoining three Cambodian provinces, and hosts four international border gates, 13 auxiliary border gates, and three border-gate economic zones.

The Tân Nam–Meun Chey border gate pair lies about 150 kilometres from HCM City and roughly 120 kilometres from Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate pair on December 8. VNA/VNS Photo

The opening of the border gate pair is considered a significant step in strengthening the traditional friendship, good neighbourliness and comprehensive and sustainable cooperation between the two countries.

In 2019, the Government approved the upgrade of Tân Nam from an auxiliary border gate to an international one. Tây Ninh Province completed the required procedures and construction began on October 25, 2024, on a 24-hectare site. On the Cambodian side, the Meun Chey international border gate project was developed on an area of nine hectares.

The two leaders discuss at the inauguration ceremony of the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate pair. VNA/VNS Photo

Addressing the ceremony, PM Chính and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet said the inauguration marked an important milestone, opening a new gateway for trade and adding another bridge of friendship between the two nations.

PM Chính said the new border gate created fresh opportunities, particularly for promoting rapid and sustainable growth, improving the lives of border residents, and contributing to shared prosperity for both countries.

He expressed his thanks to the Cambodian Government, its ministries, agencies, authorities and people, including Prey Veng Province, for their close coordination and strong support in completing the upgrade of the border gate pair.

The two leaders at the inauguration ceremony of the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate pair. VNA/VNS Photo

To ensure the border gate pair operates smoothly and efficiently in the coming period, the Prime Minister called on relevant ministries, agencies and localities of both countries to focus on five key tasks.

First, the two sides should strengthen cooperation in border management, safeguard security and order, step up efforts to prevent and combat cross-border crimes, conduct regular joint patrols, share information in a timely manner and develop friendship and twinning models between their border protection forces.

Second, they should further simplify procedures, digitise customs clearance and develop smart border gates to minimise time and costs for businesses and people, while improving transparent and effective management of the movement of goods and travellers.

Third, both sides should enhance connectivity of border trade infrastructure and economic space, finalise plans for transport, digital and power infrastructure linked to the border gate, create favourable conditions for enterprises to invest in logistics, warehousing and border trade centres, and consider preferential policies to promote import–export activities through the new gateway.

Fourth, regional linkages and local cooperation should be strengthened, particularly between Tây Ninh and Prey Veng, in developing socio-economic plans suited to the potential of the border gate. Cooperation in health care, culture, education, trade and tourism should be expanded, people-to-people exchanges promoted and support provided to improve the material and spiritual lives of border communities.

Fifth, the role of enterprises and industry associations of both countries should be enhanced in actively seeking cooperation opportunities and expanding investment, ensuring compliance with host-country laws, goods quality and social responsibility, and making full use of advantages in agriculture, processing and logistics services to boost production, business activity and exports in each country.

PM Chính said the inauguration of the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate would create strong momentum for the two countries to complete demarcation and marker planting along the remaining 16 per cent of undemarcated border sections, and to further consider the development of additional international border gate pairs along the land border.

The two leaders hold talks after the inauguration ceremony of the Tân Nam–Meun Chey international border gate pair. — VNA/VNS Photo

For his part, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said that in the coming period more international border gates would be upgraded or newly established.

Along with infrastructure projects already under construction or being improved, these developments would strongly support production, cooperation, investment, tourism, the movement of goods and agricultural products and travel for people on both sides.

He also urged relevant ministries, agencies and the authorities of Prey Veng Province in Cambodia and Tây Ninh Province in Việt Nam to develop appropriate strategies and concrete plans to facilitate the flow of goods, services and business activity, particularly in high-potential sectors such as agriculture, agro-industry and export-oriented processing industries, while continuing efforts to tackle cross-border crime.

On this occasion, the two leaders presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Tân Nam–Meun Chey Friendship Bridge linking the two countries. — VNS