Vietnam, Cambodia deepen trade ties through agricultural expo in Phnom Penh
Two-way trade between Vietnam and Cambodia reached 10.1 billion USD last year, while the figure in the first eight months of the year was 7.98 billion USD, up 16.3% year-on-year.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Minh Vu (R) visits a Vietnamese booth at the agricultural expo. (Photo: VNA)
Phnom Penh (VNA) – An international trade exhibition series on agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, beauty, pharmaceutical, laboratory, medical devices, food & beverage, and pet industry kicked off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on September 17, bringing together more than 200 enterprises from over 10 countries and territories.
Backed by the royal government, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, alongside the companionship of the Vietnamese Trade Office in the country, the three-day event is a platform to bolster trade ties between the two nations while fostering international business connections.
Together with the trade fair, a series of specialised workshops and business-matching sessions are being held, creating opportunities for enterprises to explore innovation and forge new partnerships.
On September 17, the Vietnamese Trade Office in Cambodia organised a workshop on promoting Vietnam – Cambodia trade, agricultural science-technology, and livestock, attended by business associations from both countries active in farming and livestock.
According to head of the office Do Viet Phuong, two-way trade reached 10.1 billion USD last year, while the figure in the first eight months of the year was 7.98 billion USD, up 16.3% year-on-year. Agriculture dominated the exchange, with key commodities including fruits, cashew nuts, rice, cassava, fisheries, and processed farm and aquaculture products.
The numbers reflect not just trade, but also the growing connectivity and friendship between the two countries, Phuong said, noting that both sides are working towards the target of 20 billion USD in bilateral trade as set by their high-ranking leaders. To achieve this goal, he stressed the need to ease cross-border trade by cutting administrative procedures, paperwork, fees, and taxes, ensuring smoother flows of goods in both directions
Speaking with the Vietnam News Agency, he underscored the vast trade potential between the two countries. Their export structures complement rather than compete with each other, helping diversify bilateral trade and open up further opportunities.
꧂ Nearly 20 Vietnamese companies are present at the fair, with another 15 sending product samples for display at the shared booth run by the Trade Office, he said, expressing his hope that Vietnamese goods will strengthen their foothold in Cambodia, making contributions to two-way trade./.
Vietnam’s coffee exports to Cambodia surged in July to 713 tonnes worth 2.7 million USD, up 406% in volume and 460% in value year on year, according to the Vietnamese Department of Customs. In January–July, shipments reached 2,231 tonnes worth 10 million USD, up 78% in volume and 114% in value compared with the same period last year.
Vietnam’s key exports to Svay Rieng in particular and Cambodia in general include processed agricultural products, construction materials, consumer goods, machinery, fertilisers, and plastics. Cambodia mainly exports cashew nuts, rubber, rice, mangoes, pineapples, papayas, honey, and cassava starch.
Two-way trade between Vietnam and Cambodia topped 7 billion USD in the first seven months of the year, up 16.3% against the same time last year. Vietnam’s exports to Cambodia hit 3.2 billion USD, rising 5.1%, while imports rose 28.1% to 3.8 billion USD.
All businesses are eligible to participate in the programme without undergoing any selection or review process. Enterprises can independently launch promotional campaigns with diverse and appealing content for customers and are allowed to apply maximum discounts of up to 100%.
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Under the new system, passengers without checked luggage simply check in via VNeID or a kiosk, undergo facial recognition at security, and board by scanning their face. Those with baggage drop it at a counter before entering the same automated flow.
Vietnam values its international partnerships, including with the UK, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang noted, urging UK companies, funds and financial institutions, and those from Europe and worldwide, to continue expanding investment, transferring know-how, sharing management experience and advancing green finance and technology to realise Vietnam’s sustainable development vision.
Vietnamese Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang expressed gratitude for the UK’s active role in supporting Vietnam’s efforts to draft a National Assembly resolution on creating an international financial centre. The City of London, he noted, provided pivotal insights and recommendations to shape the groundwork and development roadmap for this hub.
Vietnam is ready to deepen economic cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China and other partners, embracing a strategy of “harmonised interests and shared risks” as it leverages its fast-growing economy and market of over 100 million people.
Tay Ninh, Nghe An and Quang Tri provinces have strategic locations and significant cooperation potential, said Nguyen Thi Thai Binh, Minister-Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy, expressing confidence that with creativity and determination, these provinces and their Korean partners will find ample opportunities for productive collaboration.
Jointly organised by the Vinexad National Trade Fair and Advertising JSC and Yorkers Exhibition Service Vietnam, the event features 1,200 booths of more than 650 exhibitors from 20 countries and territories, including Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, and the US.
Public investment should serve as a key driver of growth, acting as seed capital to catalyse and mobilise all social resources, thereby fostering economic expansion, creating jobs and livelihoods, and improving the material and spiritual well-being of the people, PM Pham Minh Chinh stated.
An official of the Foreign Trade Agency laid stress on the foundational role of rules of origin in international trade, highlighting the importance of capacity building for enforcement officers in the context of deep international integration.
Against the backdrop of the growing comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, the promotion and export of Vietnam’s agricultural products not only diversify supply sources for the Russian market but also help enhance the brand values and competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises in the market that remains untapped.
International trade is no longer merely an exchange of goods but a strategic lever enabling Vietnamese enterprises to enhance capacity, secure partnerships, and expand globally.
In the first eight months of 2025, Vietnam’s total trade value reached nearly 600 billion USD, up 16.3% year on year. Of this, exports stood at 306 billion USD, a 14.8% increase, already surpassing the full-year target.
Vietnam aims to maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation below the target, achieve growth of 8.3-8.5%, ensure major economic balances, surpass budget revenue estimates by 25%, and control public debt, government debt, foreign debt, and budget deficit.
Reaffirming Vietnam’s commitment to foreign investors, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said government policies always aim to ensure transparency, fairness and a mutually beneficial environment that promotes innovation and safeguards investor rights, making Vietnam a sustainable and long-term investment destination.
The State Bank of Vietnam must launch an official gold price information portal, study the establishment of gold exchanges, and issue guiding documents to implement the Government’s decree on the management of gold trading activities.
