Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyễn Minh Vũ (right) presented the Friendship Order to Chea Kimtha, former Cambodian Ambassador to Việt Nam at a ceremony on June 17. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia on Wednesday presented the Friendship Order, one of the Vietnamese State’s highest honours, to Chea Kimtha, former Cambodian Ambassador to Việt Nam, in recognition of her significant contributions to strengthening the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyễn Minh Vũ highlighted the long-standing friendship and all-round collaboration between Việt Nam and Cambodia, which has been tested and strengthened through history and continues to deepen across all fields.

During her tenure as Cambodian Ambassador to Việt Nam from 2023 to 2026, Chea Kimtha made significant contributions to promoting the bilateral relations, advancing Party, State and people-to-people diplomacy, and strengthening connections among ministries, sectors and localities of both countries to effectively implement bilateral agreements.

Under her tenure, Việt Nam–Cambodia relations witnessed notable progress, particularly in economic cooperation. Bilateral trade continued to grow strongly, reaching a record US$11.33 billion in 2025. She also made contributions to maintaining close collaboration in defence, security and foreign affairs, helping build a solid foundation of mutual trust for the shared development of the two countries.

Receiving the award, Chea Kimtha, currently an adviser to Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, expressed her honour at being presented with the Friendship Order by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm.

She stressed that the Friendship Order is a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two countries and a reminder of their shared responsibility to preserve and promote these achievements for future generations.

The Friendship Order is a prestigious Vietnamese State decoration awarded to foreign individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to fostering friendship, solidarity and cooperation between Việt Nam and countries around the world. — VNA/VNS