PHNOM PENH: July 15, 2025, the Vietnam-Cambodia Business Networking Conference 2025 convened in Ho Chi Minh City, marking a significant step forward in strengthening economic ties between the two nations.
The conference, a collaborative initiative by the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam-Cambodia Business Federation, brought together a substantial gathering of over 200 attendees, including Neak Oknha Kith Meng, President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and Chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council-Cambodia, who led a delegation from the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, alongside senior leaders from the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and numerous Cambodian and Vietnamese business professionals.
The core result of this high-level event was a tangible commitment to strengthen economic ties, promote bilateral trade and investment, and explore broader markets for Cambodian products. This forward-looking agenda was underscored by the setting of ambitious and encouraging goals. Neak Oknha Kith Meng articulated the shared aspiration for the two countries to achieve a total bilateral trade volume of $20 billion in the coming year, signaling a strong intent to build upon recent successes.
Discussions at the conference prominently featured Vietnam’s significant contribution as a major investor in Cambodia. Neak Oknha Kith Meng highlighted that Vietnam stands as one of the top five foreign investors in Cambodia, with over 200 projects worth nearly 3 billion VND spanning critical sectors such as agriculture, telecommunications, banking, finance, food processing, mining, aviation, and tourism.
This substantial investment underscores the deep economic engagement between the two nations. Furthermore, Neak Oknha Kith Meng actively encouraged Vietnamese companies to invest in Cambodia and build on the strong ties and real business initiatives that emerged from the discussions at the conference.
Oknha Leng Rithy, Chairman of the Vietnam–Cambodia Business Association (VCBA), expressed his profound hope for continued robust development. He emphasized that with the close attention and coordination of the governments of both countries, specifically the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, Vietnamese enterprises operating in Cambodia will continue to flourish. This growth, he noted, will contribute positively to the socio-economic development of both countries and further strengthen the traditional friendly relations between Vietnam and Cambodia.
The conference also served as a platform for mutual appreciation and future collaboration. The President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Business Association paid tribute to Neak Oknha Kith Meng, urging him to continue to strengthen ties so that Vietnamese enterprises can invest in Cambodia and Cambodian enterprises can invest in Vietnam to benefit and exploit the strengths of the two countries for mutual development.
Crucially, the conference acknowledged the robust trajectory of bilateral trade. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume between Cambodia and Vietnam significantly increased, reaching more than 10 billion US dollars, a remarkable 53.34% increase compared to the previous year.
This impressive growth provides a solid foundation for achieving the ambitious target for the next few years for the trade volume between the two countries to reach $20 billion, a goal strongly reaffirmed during the conference.
The Vietnam-Cambodia Business Networking Conference 2025 thus concluded with a clear roadmap for enhanced economic cooperation and a strong sense of optimism for the future of bilateral trade and investment.
