Dong Thap province is actively promoting border trade development, thereby contributing to boosting bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia.
A big step forward
One of the significant milestones in promoting the import and export of goods to the Cambodian market is the opening ceremony in 2025, organized by the People's Committee of Dong Thap province and the Government of Prey Veng province. This is not only an important milestone in cooperative relations but also a major step forward in promoting trade, socio -economic development in the border region, and strengthening friendship between the two countries.
From Thuong Phuoc International Border Gate, the distance to Phnom Penh (Kingdom of Cambodia) by road is only about 100 km. This is the fastest route, connecting to major cities in Cambodia and to Thailand. According to Mr. Dang Hoang Nam, Deputy Team Leader of the Thuong Phuoc International Border Gate Customs (under the XX Regional Customs Sub-department), in 2025, more than 160 businesses processed import and export procedures, an increase of 46 businesses compared to the previous year. The total number of import and export declarations exceeded 27,800, with import and export turnover exceeding 1 billion USD. Compared to the same period last year, the number of declarations increased by over 16,900, and import and export turnover increased by 531 million USD.
According to Huynh Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, in recent times, the two provinces of Dong Thap and Prey Veng have continuously strengthened and developed their friendly, solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation in many fields. Both sides have maintained a good coordination mechanism in safeguarding security and order in the border area, creating favorable conditions for people from both sides to cross the border for exchange and trade, contributing to building a peaceful , friendly, and mutually developing border.
Recently, leaders of Dong Thap province and Prey Veng province signed a Memorandum of Agreement to facilitate the transportation of goods across the border between the two provinces. Accordingly, the People's Committee of Dong Thap province and the government of Prey Veng province agreed to implement appropriate measures to facilitate and enhance border trade. Leaders of the Customs Sub-department of Region XX (responsible for An Giang and Dong Thap provinces) and leaders of the Customs and Indirect Tax Department of Prey Veng province (Kingdom of Cambodia) also met and signed a Memorandum of Agreement on cooperation.
Mr. Dang Van Tien, Deputy Head of the Customs Sub-Department of Region XX, said that the unit has promptly and fully implemented legal documents, directives, and guidelines from the Customs Department, as well as regulations and procedures on customs supervision and management; disseminated, publicized, supported, and provided information to customs declarants and taxpayers… With the efforts of the Customs force and related forces, the import and export of goods through border gates in Dong Thap has proceeded smoothly.
Promoting cooperation
According to the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, the province is aiming to strongly develop border trade, enhance competitiveness, and improve the lives of people in border areas. The province has identified the key task as developing the two international border gates of Thuong Phuoc (Thuong Phuoc commune) and Dinh Ba (Tan Ho Co commune) into dynamic integrated economic zones, encompassing industry, trade, services, tourism, and urban development, playing a crucial role as a key trading hub with countries in the Mekong sub-region.
Dong Thap province expects that boosting border trade and exporting goods to the Cambodian market will contribute to the country's goal of achieving a bilateral trade turnover of 20 billion USD between Vietnam and Cambodia by 2030; at the same time, it will promote the transformation of trade quality, diversify goods, and strengthen border economic cooperation, with a focus on connecting comprehensive supply chains from production to logistics.
According to Nguyen Thanh Dieu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, in the period 2025-2027, the province strives to increase the value of import and export goods between Dong Thap and Cambodia by 10%-15% per year, reaching 250 million USD by 2027, with exports accounting for at least 50%. The target for 2030 is 300 million USD. The value of cross-border trade through border gates is expected to increase by 10% per year; the basic technical infrastructure of the border economic zone and border gates, especially the two international border gates, will be completed.
To achieve the aforementioned goals, Dong Thap province has identified and focused on implementing numerous tasks and solutions. Specifically, these include strengthening the dissemination of information on the Project to promote border trade development and import/export of goods to the Cambodian market; disseminating policies and laws on border trade, tariff preferences, conditions, and procedures for enjoying special preferential tax rates when exporting and importing goods to Cambodia, especially for key commodities; and reforming administrative procedures towards transparency and efficiency, creating a favorable legal environment for economic entities participating in border trade activities.
The main export items across the border of Dong Thap province are fertilizers, animal feed, and aquatic products; the main import items are natural yellow sand, rice, mangoes, granulated sugar, and iron ore. Son Thu Import-Export Company regularly imports and exports goods through the Dinh Ba International Border Gate (Tan Ho Co commune). Mr. Tran Ngoc Thu, representative of Son Thu Company, said that the authorities at the border gate enthusiastically guide the administrative procedures for import and export, creating favorable conditions for customs clearance and ensuring compliance with regulations.
In addition, Dong Thap province is promoting trade and connecting businesses. It is coordinating with relevant agencies to upgrade "hard infrastructure" such as commercial infrastructure, roads, warehouses, cargo handling facilities, and logistics centers; and "soft infrastructure" such as integrated control systems, e-commerce, and "one-stop shop" customs clearance. The province is focusing resources on upgrading and completing key projects and works at border gates, with a particular emphasis on investing in logistics infrastructure.
Furthermore, Dong Thap encourages businesses to shift strongly from informal trade to formal export channels, coupled with brand building in the Cambodian market. Alongside this, businesses are encouraged to leverage cross-border e-commerce through Cambodian domestic e-commerce platforms such as Smile Shop and Little Fashion; and to research and develop products that suit local tastes, such as using Khmer-language packaging, adhering to Halal standards, and designing smaller product packages to suit the income levels of people in remote areas.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/dong-thap-phat-trien-thuong-mai-bien-gioi-20260225203025167.htm
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