General Secretary To Lam received Cambodian Ambassador Chea Kimtha for a farewell visit.
On the afternoon of January 14th, in Hanoi, General Secretary To Lam received Ms. Chea Kimtha, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Cambodia, who paid a farewell visit upon the completion of her term of service in Vietnam.
During the meeting, General Secretary To Lam congratulated Cambodia on its significant achievements and expressed confidence that Cambodia would continue to maintain peace, stability, and prosperous development.
Expressing pleasure at the continued excellent development of Vietnam-Cambodia relations in all areas, from cooperation through Party, Government, parliamentary channels and between localities, the General Secretary emphasized that the relationship between the two countries is formed from a history of solidarity, close ties, and mutual sacrifice for the peace, stability, and development of each country and for the common interests of ASEAN. He also affirmed that Vietnam highly values Cambodia's contributions to Vietnam's national liberation and development. In the context of a world with many uncertainties and unpredictable circumstances, Vietnam will continue to do its utmost for the development of Vietnam-Cambodia relations as well as the relations between the three countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, considering this a strategic choice.
Regarding economic cooperation, the General Secretary stated that Vietnam and Cambodia share similar development goals, Vietnam's by 2045 and Cambodia's by 2050. The General Secretary suggested that the two countries should accelerate infrastructure connectivity and develop border trade infrastructure; aiming to reach the target of US$20 billion in bilateral trade as soon as possible. Both sides should strengthen trade cooperation, especially for products such as rice, cashew nuts, and rubber, to promote processing industries and import-export. He also requested Cambodia to create more favorable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to invest and operate in Cambodia. The two countries should continue to consolidate political trust; strengthen defense and security cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in both countries and the region.
Highly appreciating the sentiments and positive contributions of Ambassador Chea Kimtha and the Cambodian Embassy in promoting cooperation between Party and State agencies, ministries, departments, localities, and connecting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, the General Secretary expressed confidence that upon returning to Cambodia, the Ambassador will always cherish fond memories of Vietnam and its people, and continue to make positive contributions to preserving and fostering bilateral relations.
Ambassador Chea Kimtha respectfully conveyed the New Year greetings for 2026 from King Norodom Sihamoni and the Chairman of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and President of the Senate, Hun Sen, to General Secretary To Lam. She also thanked the General Secretary for his continued attention and guidance to Vietnamese agencies in closely cooperating with Cambodia, and for creating favorable conditions for her to fulfill her duties in Vietnam.
Expressing delight at witnessing Vietnam's significant achievements during his term of office under the wise leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Ambassador highly appreciated Vietnam's reform and streamlining policies, and expressed confidence that the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam would be a great success and that Vietnam would successfully achieve its two centenary goals.
On this occasion, the General Secretary proposed that the two sides continue to cooperate in the demarcation and management of the land border; he thanked and requested that Cambodia continue to pay attention to and create favorable conditions regarding legal status, including the granting of citizenship, so that people of Vietnamese origin can settle down and make positive contributions to the development of Cambodia and the friendly relations between the two countries.
Through the Ambassador, General Secretary To Lam conveyed the greetings and New Year wishes of the Vietnamese Party and State leaders to King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, CPP Chairman, Senate President Hun Sen, and the leaders and people of Cambodia.
