Vietnam – Cambodia sign agreement to build a bridge across the border

On the morning of December 27, in Ho Chi Minh City, authorized by the governments of the two countries, the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of the Kingdom of Cambodia signed an agreement on facilitating the movement of workers, machinery, vehicles, construction equipment, construction materials and fuel for the construction of the Long Binh - Chrey Thom bridge.

Attending the signing ceremony, on the Vietnamese side were Mr. Nguyen Van The, Deputy Minister of Transport; representatives of the Office of the Ministry of Transport; Department of International Cooperation; Department of Planning and Investment; Project Management Board 7; Tedi South; Cienco1 companies and the consortium of contractors Tuan Loc Construction Investment Joint Stock Company, HJC Company, Thang Loi Company.

The delegation included Mr. Sokhom Pheakavanmony - Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia; representatives of the General Department of Public Works; General Department of Transport; General Department of Administration and Management under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia and a number of related ministries and branches...

The two sides handed over the signed minutes.

The Long Binh – Chrey Thom bridge project connecting An Giang (Vietnam) and Kandal (Cambodia) provinces is within the framework of the Credit Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Royal Government of Cambodia (recently signed on December 26, 2013) and has been under study since 2003. Officers, engineers and workers of the two countries have closely coordinated during the survey, design and investment preparation stages.

Upon completion, this project will contribute to creating the shortest route connecting the capital Phnom Penh to the Vietnam border; thereby, contributing to promoting economic and trade development between the two countries as well as contributing to poverty reduction in difficult border areas. This agreement consists of 07 Articles, with the main content clearly stipulating the responsibilities of the functional agencies of the two sides, specifying the simplification of entry and exit procedures for employees, exemption of import and export taxes and simplification of procedures for import and export of machinery, equipment and means of transport... to facilitate people, machinery, means of transport, construction equipment, construction materials and fuel for bridge construction.

In view of the great benefits of cooperation between the two countries in general and to facilitate and speed up the construction of Long Binh – Chrey Thom bridge; representatives of the two Ministries of Transport and Public Works of the two countries have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Long Binh – Chrey Thom bridge project is expected to be jointly organized by the two countries in January 2014, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Cambodia's Victory Day.

Also at the signing ceremony, Mr. Sokhom Pheakavanmony - Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia expressed his opinions on cooperation in building and developing economic and commercial zones in the Long Binh - Chrey Thom bridge area, the border of An Giang - Kandal provinces; building the Vietnam - Cambodia railway and many other important transport projects... On this occasion, the Secretary of State conveyed the invitation of the Minister of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia to the Minister of Transport of Vietnam to make an official visit to Cambodia in the near future.

Deputy Minister of Transport of Vietnam Nguyen Van The sincerely thanked the invitation of the Minister of Transport of Cambodia and said that he would report to the Minister of Transport of Vietnam to arrange the visit as soon as possible. Regarding the construction of economic and commercial zones proposed by the other side, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van The took note and would make recommendations to the Government on related issues.

At the same time, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van The also agreed with Secretary of State Sokhom Pheakavanmony that, in the upcoming meeting between the two countries' Ministers, it is necessary to discuss in more detail the construction of a railway connecting Cambodia with Vietnam, because this is not only an important railway for the two countries but also a concern for many countries in the ASEAN region. To prepare for this content, the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport will assign the Vietnam Railway Authority to coordinate with the Cambodian Railway Authority to prepare conditions for part of the content of the meeting between the two Ministers.

According to GTVT newspaper