State President hosts welcome ceremony for Cambodian King

Prominent at the welcome ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh, head of the Presidential Office Le Khanh Hai, and many officials of Vietnam. Ambassadors and Charge d'Affaires of ASEAN countries in Vietnam were also present at the event.

Following the ceremony, President Cuong and the Cambodian King will hold talks to review cooperation between the two countries and propose orientations for the time ahead.

In his 20 years of reign, King Norodom Sihamoni made three trips to Vietnam in 2006, 2012, and 2018. This time marks his fourth visit to the country, which is evidence of the warm friendship of the King and the leaders and people of Cambodia with Vietnam.

During this visit, the King will hold talks with all of Vietnam's highest-level leaders, strengthening political trust and promoting cooperation in various fields, including economics, culture and education.

Vietnam and Cambodia officially established diplomatic relations on June 24, 1967, and their friendship has ever since been continuously nurtured and developed. In 2005, leaders of the two countries agreed on a new approach to their relations following the motto of "good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability". Guided by this principle, their relationship has been further strengthened across all fields.

High-level exchanges between the two countries have remained frequent in various forms, playing a vital role in guiding the relationship between the two countries.

Vietnam-Cambodia bilateral trade has grown substantially, with an average annual increase of over 20% from 2015 to 2022, surpassing 10 billion USD in 2022. Despite the challenges posed by the global economic downturn in 2023, two-way trade still reached 8.57 billion USD. In the first 10 months this year, the figure had reached 8.35 billion USD, with both countries aiming to achieve 20 billion USD in trade in the near future.

Vietnam remains the largest investor from ASEAN and one of the top five investors globally in Cambodia, with 205 active projects worth a total registered capital of 2.94 billion USD as of July 2024.

Meanwhile, Cambodia had run 38 investment projects in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of 76.8 million USD as of October.