Vietnam, Cambodia gear up for 2nd border defence friendship exchange
A delegation from the Ministry of National Defence led by Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien on July 14 inspected key locations for second Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defence Friendship Exchange in November.
Leaders of the Tay Ninh provincial Border Guard Command report the National Defence Ministry's delegation plans to organise the Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defence Friendship Exchange. (Photo: VNA)
Tay Ninh (VNA) – Preparations are well underway for thꦯe second Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defence Friendship Exchange, slated for November 2025 in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh province and Cambodia’s Svay Rieng province.
A delegation from the Ministry of National Defence led by Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien on July 14 inspected key locations for the upcoming event, including sites around the Moc Bai (Vietnam) – Bavet (Cambodia) international border gates, the symbolic border marker No. 171, the joint patrol observation area, and the site for a tree-planting ceremony. They also reviewed the planned venue for a joint military medical drill in Ben Cau commune, Tay Ninh province.
They also assessed progress on a boarding classroom project at the Ben Cau Primary School, funded by the Ministry of National Defence.
In Cambodia, the delegation visited the Sang Sovanna Primary School in Svay Teap district, Svay Rieng province.
Other sites included the planned venue for the twinning ceremony between residential communities along the shared border, a helicopter landing zone at Division 5, and the location of the young officers' exchange programme.
The second Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defence Friendship Exchange is expected to feature 20 activities, including five held in advance and 15 during the official programme. Key events include the Vietnam-Cambodia Defence Policy Dialogue, ceremonies marking the twinning ties between border communities, free medical check-ups and medicine distribution for residents on both sides of the border, a young officers’ exchange, repainting of border markers, tree planting, inauguration of friendship projects, and high-level talks between the two defence ministries.
At each inspection site, Chien praised the urgent and responsible efforts by local units and agencies. He urged all stakeholders to intensify coordination and swiftly complete remaining tasks as well as closely cooperate with Cambodian counterparts to ensure the programme is conducted solemnly and on schedule./.
The Vietnam–Cambodia business networking conference 2025 will take place in HCM City on July 15, aiming to strengthen direct connections between Vietnamese and Cambodian enterprises.
The training course is a follow-up activity to realise the outcomes of a recent meeting of top leaders of the LPRP, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP).
Since the signing of the Vietnam-Cambodia trade and economic cooperation agreement, trade and investment ties have seen remarkable growth, substantially contributing to each country's socio-economic development and facilitating collaboration in various spheres, said Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu.
The Prime Minister pledged full support for foreign investors, particularly those from Japan, to operate in Vietnam, stressing a commitment to “harmonised interests and shared risks”.
State President Luong Cuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cabled congratulatory messages to French President Emmanuel Macron and PM François Bayrou respectively.
Party General Secretary To Lam urged Nghia Tru commune to turn itself as a model for urban development integrated with ecological agriculture, new rural services, and the preservation of traditional values.
HCM City is committed to creating the most favourable conditions in terms of policy, regulatory framework, and investment environment to ensure that cooperation initiatives with France are implemented in a substantive, effective, and sustainable manner, a local official has said.
Zapryanov affirmed that Bulgaria considers Vietnam an important partner and a bridge for Bulgaria to enhance its engagement with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He highly appreciated President Rumen Radev’s visit to Vietnam in November 2024, calling it a significant milestone and a strong impetus for deepening the bilateral relations.
State President Luong Cuong, Chairman of the Council of National Defence and Security and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, presided over a ceremony in Hanoi on July 14 to hand over promotion decisions to leaders of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security.
Friendship is one of the most profound characteristics of the bilateral ties, forged over a long history full of ups and downs, with both nations cherishing this uniqueness through their ability to look back on the shared past with calmness and goodwill, said French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet.
NA Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Thanh highly appreciated the role of the French Parliament in the APF and congratulated France on successfully hosting APF-50.
Shear highlighted the significant strides made in the Vietnam–US relationship over the past three decades. Two-way trade has reached 150 billion USD, tens of thousands of Vietnamese students are studying and conducting research in the US, and robust people-to-people exchanges have continued to flourish.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that the two-level local administration model in the Mekong Delta has been fundamentally well implemented, showing steady progress, gradual improvement, and increasing operational stability.
“I personally do not think that we would have the relationship we do today, nor do I think Vietnam would be the safe, the secure, the stable, the prosperous country it is, if it weren't for the fact that it was the Vietnamese Government that trusted and said, ‘We want to help you,’” Director of the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Kelly McKeague said.
This is the first time Vietnam’s National Assembly has participated in the event, which brought together over 550 delegates from 59 countries and territories, at vice-presidential level.
Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vu Hong Thanh held talks with Vice President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire Woi Mela Gaston, and met with Vice President of the Senate Sarra Fadika Sako as part of his official visit to the African country July 9 to 12.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference on July 13 focused on the operation of the two-tier local government model, the progress of key transport infrastructure projects, and the implementation of the Mekong Delta's sustainable one-million-hectare low-emission and high-quality rice cultivation plan.
US Ambassador Marc Knapper affirmed that the US is ready to continue working with Vietnam to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and advance the bilateral relationship, based on mutual respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political systems.
