Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng holds talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on June 8 in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet discussed broad directions for advancing Việt Nam-Cambodia connectivity in the years ahead.

They highlighted the spirit of transforming the 'traditional friendship' into a driver of development' and turning 'historical closeness' into 'strategic closeness', during talks held at the Government headquarters on Monday in Hà Nội.

The meeting followed an official welcome ceremony hosted by PM Hưng earlier in the day for his Cambodian counterpart during his official visit to Việt Nam.

At the invitation of PM Hưng, PM Hun Manet is paying an official visit to Việt Nam and to attend the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF-3) in Hà Nội.

During the talks, the two sides agreed to further strengthen political trust and deepen close cooperation in national defence and security.

They reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of not allowing hostile forces to use the territory of one country to undermine or threaten the security and interests of the other.

Both leaders also pledged to enhance economic connectivity and expand cooperation in culture, education and tourism.

The two Prime Ministers reached broad agreement on infrastructure and border connectivity, including efforts to accelerate the development of expressway links connecting HCM City and Mộc Bài with Bavet and Phnom Penh.

They also agreed to study the expansion of air routes linking Việt Nam and Cambodia, as well as Laos, and to explore the establishment of special economic zones and cross-border economic zones.

Both sides pledged to facilitate customs clearance and cross-border trade.

PM Hun Manet expressed full support for PM Hưng's proposals to create favourable conditions for businesses from both countries to invest in areas of shared strength and demand, including agricultural processing, aquaculture, clean energy, construction materials and logistics.

The two also agreed to expand cooperation in education and training to improve workforce quality.

They further pledged to strengthen public awareness and education, particularly among younger generations, about the longstanding friendship and close neighbourly relations between the two countries.

Both governments will coordinate activities to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027 (June 24, 1967 - June 24, 2027), with a range of meaningful commemorative events.

They also agreed to continue close cooperation in supporting people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia and helping them maintain stable livelihoods.

The two Prime Ministers told ministries and agencies to develop detailed plans, measures and implementation plans to translate the agreements reached during the talks into concrete actions.

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng at the talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

Also at the talks, PM Hưng highlighted the significance of the visit and PM Hun Manet’s participation in AFF-3, saying it would help strengthen political trust, deepen the traditional friendship between Việt Nam and Cambodia and promote solidarity, cooperation and connectivity within ASEAN for peace and development in the region and beyond.

PM Hưng conveyed greetings from Việt Nam’s senior leaders to King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) President Hun Sen and other senior Cambodian leaders.

Reaffirming Việt Nam’s consistent policy of attaching high priority to relations with Cambodia under the framework of 'good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability', PM Hưng expressed appreciation for the goodwill shown by PM Hun Manet and Cambodian leaders towards the Party, State and people of Việt Nam.

He expressed confidence that, under the leadership of the CPP, the decisive management of the Cambodian Government and the support of its people, Cambodia would continue to make strong progress across all sectors, successfully implement the first phase of its Pentagonal Strategy, achieve upper-middle-income status by 2030 and become a high-income country by 2050.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (second, left) speaks during the talks with Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

For his part, PM Hun Manet congratulated Việt Nam on its robust economic performance, noting that the country recorded growth of more than 8 per cent in 2025, the highest rate in the region.

He expressed confidence that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the administration of the Vietnamese Government, the country would achieve further significant milestones, realise its two centenary development goals and continue to enhance its regional and international standing.

PM Hun Manet reaffirmed the Cambodian Government’s commitment to working closely with Việt Nam in implementing the outcomes of the high-level meeting between the Politburo of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the Standing Committee of the CPP, as well as the meeting of the leaders of the ruling parties of Việt Nam, Cambodia and Laos, held during the State visit of Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm to Cambodia in February 2026. He also pledged to effectively implement other high-level agreements reached between the two countries.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in bilateral relations over the past time.

Political trust has continued to deepen, while defence and security cooperation remains a key pillar of the partnership.

Trade, investment and tourism have emerged as bright spots, with bilateral trade reaching nearly US$5 billion in the first four months of this year, up 9.6 per cent year-on-year.

Việt Nam welcomed nearly 400,000 Cambodian visitors during the same period, an increase of 41.6 per cent compared with a year earlier.

The two sides also noted significant progress in border affairs as well as stronger cooperation in education, culture, social development and people-to-people exchanges.

Numerous exchange programmes, assistance initiatives and friendship activities have been organised, helping to foster mutual understanding and closer ties between the peoples of the two countries.

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and Cambodian PM Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet at their talks on June 8 in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

Against the backdrop of an increasingly complex and unpredictable regional and international environment, the two countries pledged to strengthen coordination at regional and global forums, particularly within Mekong sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, ASEAN and the United Nations.

They agreed to maintain consultations on strategic issues of mutual concern and work with other ASEAN members to strengthen regional unity and resilience, promote the peaceful settlement of differences and expand cooperation with partners while upholding ASEAN centrality, thereby contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the wider world.

Following the talks, the two Prime Ministers witnessed the exchange of a Cooperation Plan in the field of information for the 2026-30 period between Việt Nam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Cambodia’s Ministry of Information. — VNS

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet witness the exchange of cooperation documents. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang