Viet Nam and Cambodia on February 6 issued a joint statement on the occasion of the State visit to Cambodia by General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam To Lam.
The following is the full text of the joint statement:
JOINT STATEMENT
Between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on the Occasion of the State Visit of His Excellency To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, to the Kingdom of Cambodia
On 6 February 2026
1. At the invitation of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, His Excellency To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, paid a State Visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on 6 February 2026.
2. During the visit, General Secretary To Lam paid a courtesy call on Her Majesty Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk and held a high-level meeting with Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen, President of the Senate acting as Head of State. General Secretary To Lam also laid wreaths and paid homage at the Independence Monument, the Monument of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk “Preah Borom Ratanak Kaudh”, the late King Father of Cambodia, and at the Viet Nam – Cambodia Friendship Monument.
3. Samdech Techo Hun Sen commended the significant achievements that Viet Nam has recorded in the course of national construction, reform and development as well as the country's remarkable accomplishments in socio-economic development of reaching over 8% in economic growth in 2025. Samdech Techo Hun Sen extended warmest congratulations to General Secretary To Lam on the successful conclusion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and his re-election for second term as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his best wishes to the Government and the people of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for the realization of their goals of attaining upper-middle-income status by 2030 and becoming a high-income, industrialized country by 2045.
4. General Secretary To Lam commended the remarkable achievements that the Government and the people of Cambodia have achieved under the wise reign of His Majesty the King of Cambodia and the far-sighted leadership of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, particularly in advancing socio-economic development. He expressed his best wishes for Cambodia’s success in realizing its long-term vision of becoming a high-income country by 2050.
5. On the occasion of the visit of General Secretary To Lam, Cambodia’s Leadership appreciated the assistance extended by Viet Nam in the field of education, including the Viet Nam - Cambodia friendship school in Dangkor District, Phnom Penh, which reflects the spirit of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
6. His Excellency To Lam also had candid discussions with Cambodia’s leadership focusing on further deepening warm and friendly relations and expanding beneficial cooperation between the two countries. They also shared their views on regional and international matters of common interest.
7. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the positive development of the close ties and comprehensive cooperation between Cambodia and Viet Nam over the past years, yielding tangible benefits for both peoples. They welcome the sustained momentum of high-level exchanges and engagement across all levels and sectors, which has further strengthened the traditional friendship and expanded bilateral cooperation in a substantive and effective manner.
8. They reiterated their consistent position of attaching special importance to the good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-lasting stability relations between Viet Nam and Cambodia, committing to supporting and assisting each other for development, peace, stability and prosperity.
9. Against the backdrop of complex regional and global developments, the two sides shared a deeper essential mutual understanding that their good neighborliness and traditional friendship were inseparable and their mutual assistance for shared prosperity equality and peaceful coexistence constituted an everlasting truism shared by the two nations.
10. Reaffirming their commitment to bolster mutual trust and understanding, laying the solid foundation for managing and settling the remaining issues and all differences while maintaining the positive momentum of overall ties, the two sides agreed on the following fundamental principles to manage the issues without affecting their broader bilateral ties while setting new directions toward a more substantive and effective cooperation between the two countries:
Respecting each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs; and handling all issues with diligence to avoid being taken advantage of, or complicating the situation;
Settling difference through frank and constructive dialogue, earnest and good-intentioned cooperation, anchored in respect for each other's legitimate core interest, building on commonalities while minimizing and narrowing differences;
Enhancing information sharing and fostering timely consultation on matters of common interest, especially issues related to national boundary, communities, cooperation programs and projects;
Maintaining a consensus not to permit any issues, that might affect the overarching relations, comprehensive cooperation or the solidarity and friendship between the two countries; and
Bolstering information exchange and coordination in a constructive and responsible spirit, and handling emerging issues in a timely manner, so as to reinforce trust and sustain a stable, lasting bilateral relationship.
11. The Cambodian side expressed sincere gratitude for the sacrifice of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and people in the liberation of the Cambodian people from the genocidal regime of Democratic Kampuchea in the 1970s and 1980s, and the support of Viet nam for Cambodia’s national construction and development. The Vietnamese side expressed sincere gratitude for the sacrifice of the Cambodian people in Viet Nam’s past struggle for territorial unification and national independence in the 1960s and 1970s, and Cambodia’s support for Viet Nam’s national construction and development. In this respect, the two sides committed to further strengthening this traditional friendship, underscoring that warm relations between Viet Nam and Cambodia remained steadfast and unchanged despite the evolving dynamics and complexities of the regional and international landscape.
12. The two sides pledged to harness their complementary strength to bolster bilateral and regional economic integration, particularly in the areas of strategic infrastructure and supply chains connectivity, agriculture and agro- processing, energy and logistics, border economic cooperation; and facilitating the smooth flow of goods, services and investment between the two economies.
13. Encouraged by the recent robust growth in the two-way trade and the commitment towards achieving the agreed bilateral trade target of 20 billion USD in the future, the two sides agreed to further promote and facilitate cross-border trade. The two sides also underscored the importance of the effective implementation of the Arrangement on Bilateral Trade Enhancement 2025-2026, the Agreement on Border Trade and the Agreement on the Transit of Goods as well as trade-related agreements between the two countries.
14. The two sides welcomed the official inauguration of the Meun Chey – Tan Nam International Border Checkpoint on 8 December 2025, and agreed to expedite the early inclusion of this international border checkpoint into the Designated Border Gates for transit, through the signing of the Protocol to Amend the Agreement on the Transit of Goods between the Government of Viet Nam and the Government of Cambodia, signed in 2013. The Vietnamese side also agreed to advance the upgrading of the Chrey Thum (Kandal) – Khanh Binh (An Giang) bilateral border checkpoint to an International Border Checkpoint and opening a new inland waterway border checkpoint in Khanh Binh. Both sides also agreed to encourage the competent authorities to fully implement the Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Royal Government of Cambodia on Waterway Transportation signed on 17 December 2009 and its amendment in 2019. To this end, both sides encouraged the relevant authorities of the two countries to cooperate closely to simplify the cross-border transport procedures at the International Border Gates. They also agreed to expedite the identification of the connecting point of the Phnom Penh – Bavet – Ho Chi Minh City – Moc Bai Expressway.
15. Driven by the joint efforts to further strengthen economic ties between the two countries, the two sides continued discussions on the joint study of the New Economic Mechanisms to more closely link the economies of Viet Nam and Cambodia, building upon and integrating the Master Plan on Viet Nam –Cambodia Economic Connectivity to 2030.
16. The two sides pledged to continue improving the investment and business environment, incentivizing and assisting their respective businesses to expand cooperation in areas of potential and complementarity, including telecommunications, agro-processing and agritrade, renewable energy, infrastructure, digital transformation, finance and banking and tourism. The two sides committed to promote investment and trade promotion activities, and endeavor to reach the bilateral trade target of US$20 billion in the near future to match the two countries' potential, scope and comprehensiveness of cooperation.
17. Both sides stressed the importance of defense and security cooperation, pledged to further deepen this collaboration with greater effectiveness, and agreed to intensify relations between the two armed forces, including capacity building. They resolved not to permit any hostile actors to make use of each country's territory to conduct subversion against the other.
18. Both sides emphasised the importance of cooperation in consular protection of citizens of both countries in accordance with the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Viet Nam expressed its appreciation to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the consistent support for and non-discrimination against people of Vietnamese origin currently residing in Cambodia over the past years. Both sides agreed to facilitate the other's citizens residing, studying, working and doing business legally within their respective countries.
19. The two sides commended ongoingefforts of the Viet Nam – Cambodia, Cambodia – Viet Nam Joint Border Commissions to find mutually acceptable solutions to approximately 16% remaining un-demarcated land boundary, with priority given to resolving the 6% related to land exchange, in accordance with all border treaties concluded between the two countries with a view to building a land boundary of peace, stability and development between Viet Nam and Cambodia. The two sides agreed to accelerate the process of building, negotiating and signing of the agreement on the management of land border checkpoints and the agreement on the management regime of land boundary to replace the 1983 Agreement on Border Statute in the near future.
The two sides discussed and exchanged views on maritime related issues. Pending maritime delimitation, the two sides are fully committed to respecting and effectively implementing all the relevant border related agreements, including the 1982 Viet Nam – Cambodia Agreement on Historical Waters.
20. Both sides agreed to strengthen mutual trust and understanding, stressing the importance of promoting information, communication and education regarding the tradition of bilateral relations within their respective population across all strata, especially among the youth, so that they would have an accurate understanding of the history of the traditional friendship between the two countries. They agreed to strengthen joint efforts to preserve, restore and enhance the Viet Nam - Cambodia Friendship Monuments, considering them invaluable historic values that would contribute to the education on such traditions, bolster the social foundation, and advance bilateral relations towards a stable, long-term development trajectory.
21. The two sides agreed to strengthen educational and training links with a long-term outlook, viewing that education and training provide an important bridge connecting their respective youths and fostering mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship between the two countries' young generation. The two sides committed to facilitating such cooperation to the greatest extent possible, including through the provision of scholarships in accordance with the existing Memorandum of Agreement on Education Cooperation between their respective Ministries of Education.
22. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of public health. Cambodia expressed deep appreciation to Viet Nam for the continued provision of the same healthcare and treatment for Cambodian patients in major public hospitals in Ho Chi Minh city and border provinces as applicable to Vietnamese citizens and in accordance with the Vietnamese regulations and Vietnamese hospitals’ payment schemes for uninsured patients.
To further enhance cooperation on healthcare professional, the two sides agreed to discuss the possibility of providing the capacity building for Cambodian medical student studying at Vietnamese medical universities allowing them to continue their clinical practice in Viet Nam's hospital after completing their courses, in accordance with Vietnamese laws and regulation.
23. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the areas, including culture, sport, tourism, energy, science and technology, agriculture and fisheries, post, telecommunications and ICT, and digital economy for enhanced partnership, complementarity and shared prosperity. Both sides would make efforts to complete their respective domestic procedures regarding the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime and to promote cooperation in combating cybercrime, recognizing that the Convention’s early entry into force would contribute to fostering regional and international cooperation in this field.
24. The two sides encouraged their respective border provincial authorities to further promote cooperation activities in border trade, culture and arts, education and people-to-people exchange, and to collaborate closely in resolving differences and avoid any activities which may complicate those differences in the spirit of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual interest so as to contribute to promoting socio-economic cooperation and other areas of collaboration between the two countries in accordance with the treaties and agreements between the two countries and the laws and regulations of each country.
25. Both sides reaffirmed the strategic importance strengthening ASEAN Centrality and unity, and the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 to realise a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centred ASEAN. In this regard, the two sides pledged to work closely with each other and other ASEAN Member States to uphold the shared commitment to maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region by upholding the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and other ASEAN instruments and international law. The two sides underscored the importance of peaceful dialogue, constructive consultation, confidence-building and self- restraint, the settlement of disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and the ASEAN Charter, without resorting to the threat or use of force.
26. The two sides agreed to strengthen their close cooperation within the framework of the Mekong River Commission and other relevant mechanisms, and with other countries along the Mekong River and development partners for the sustainable and effective management, utilization, development and conservation of water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin. The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to fully adhere to the 1995 Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin and its Procedures and guidelines. Both sides also agreed to continue to cooperate closely with Mekong subregional countries to leverage Mekong cooperation mechanisms, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the subregion and the whole region.
27. The two sides reaffirmed ASEAN’s principled position on the South China Sea. Both sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. Both sides reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint, in the conducts of activities that would complicate the situation, and the need to settle disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They underscored the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, and looked forward to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.
28. His Excellency General Secretary To Lam expressed deep gratitude to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni for the invitation, Cambodian Leaders and the Cambodian people for the warm hospitality extended to the Vietnamese high-level delegation. He cordially extended an invitation to His Majesty the King to pay a State Visit to Viet Nam at the convenient opportunity.
Phnom Penh, 6 February 2026.
