Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (left) met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Phnom Penh on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photos Dương Giang

PHNOM PENH — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Phnom Penh on Friday to review Việt Nam-Cambodia cooperation and discuss measures to further advance bilateral relations.

PM Chính congratulated the Cambodian Government, led by PM Hun Manet, on its significant achievements in national construction and development, expressing his confidence that Cambodia will continue to record further successes in the time ahead.

PM Hun Manet congratulated Việt Nam on the success of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), describing it as vivid evidence of the Party’s strong unity and consensus, as well as the Vietnamese people’s firm confidence in the Party’s leadership. He voiced his belief that, under the sound leadership of the CPV headed by General Secretary Tô Lâm, Việt Nam will achieve double-digit growth, realise its goal of becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed socialist country with high income by 2045.

The two PMs noted that over the past year, the two governments have effectively implemented the conclusions of the meetings in February 2025 between the CPV and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), and among the CPV, the CPP, and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), proactively and efficiently rolling out cooperation plans and achieving substantive results. Political and diplomatic relations have continued to be strengthened, while bilateral cooperation mechanisms have operated effectively, they said.

Defence and security cooperation between Việt Nam and Cambodia has become increasingly substantive, while economic, trade, and investment partnership recorded strong growth, with bilateral trade reaching US$11.33 billion in 2025, up 11.7 per cent from 2024.

Positive progress has also been made in border cooperation, reflecting both sides’ goodwill and determination to build a border of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation, and development. Cooperation in education, training, health care, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has further been promoted, the PMs noted.

While acknowledging the benefits of opening border gates, the two PMs stressed the need for close coordination in border management to ensure security and order, prevent cross-border crimes and smuggling, and address illegal activities. They agreed to expedite the signing of an agreement on border gate management and an agreement on border management regulations to facilitate border trade and meet development goals in the new period.

Building on existing achievements and the outcomes of recent bilateral and trilateral meetings among the CPV, CPP, and LPRP as well as the meeting of the Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian PMs, the two governments will further deepen cooperation by enhancing high-level contacts and exchanges at all levels and across all channels, effectively utilising bilateral cooperation mechanisms, strengthening defence and security cooperation, and adhering to the principle of not allowing hostile forces to use one country’s territory against the other. They also agreed to maintain border security and combat transnational crimes.

An overview of the meeting.

The two leaders agreed to accelerate efforts to finalise the project on a new economic cooperation mechanism linking the Vietnamese and Cambodian economies through 2035, with a vision towards 2050, study plans for expressway connectivity between HCM City/Mộc Bài and Bavet/Phnom Penh, and promote cooperation in agricultural product trade and processing.

Emphasising the importance of maintaining a peaceful, stable, and sustainably developing border, the two PMs affirmed their commitments to promptly and appropriately addressing emerging issues, including environmental protection in border areas. They agreed to push forwards negotiations to resolve the remaining approximately 16 per cent of the land border yet to be demarcated and to strengthen coordination in managing both land and maritime borders in a spirit of mutual understanding and respect, in line with international law.

The two sides reaffirmed their determination to preserve, nurture, and further strengthen the traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and solidarity between Việt Nam and Cambodia, regarding this relationship as a valuable asset of both nations, pledging to pass it on to future generations for the long-term interests of their people and for regional peace, stability, and sustainable development.

On this occasion, PM Chính called on Cambodia to continue paying attention to resolving legal status issues for people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia, enabling them to stabilise their lives and contribute positively to Cambodia’s prosperous development and bilateral friendship. — VNA/VNS