Connecting Vietnam-Cambodia manufacturing, distribution and logistics businesses

(Chinhphu.vn) - On September 13, in Tay Ninh, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the People's Committee of Tay Ninh province coordinated with the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia to organize the "Conference connecting production, distribution and logistics enterprises between Vietnam and Cambodia".

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang; Mr. Tith Rithipol, Deputy Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia and Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh, Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee chaired the conference.

The conference was chaired by: Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang; Mr. Tith Rithipol, Deputy Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia and Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh, Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee.

The conference took place in the context of rapidly expanding border trade between Vietnam and Cambodia; the need to complete infrastructure, improve logistics capacity and connect supply chains to take advantage of market opportunities is urgent.

In recent times, Vietnam and Cambodia have maintained a stable trade cooperation relationship with a high growth rate. Many bilateral agreements have been signed, creating a legal framework and favorable conditions for border trade. In 2024, two-way trade turnover reached 10.1 billion USD (according to Vietnam's data), an increase of 17.5%. By July 2025, two-way trade turnover exceeded 7 billion USD, an increase of 16.3% over the same period, of which Vietnam exported 3.2 billion USD (up 5.1%), imported 3.8 billion USD (up 28.1%), reflecting a clear trend of trade deficit.

At the Conference, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam, the Border Guard Command, the Customs Department, a number of units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, leaders of the Department of Commerce of Tbong Khmum province (Cambodia) and a number of associations and typical enterprises of the two countries reported, discussed, shared practices and proposed solutions to promote the development of Vietnam-Cambodia border trade infrastructure to build a chain of production, distribution and logistics enterprises. Discussions ranged from macro policies to specific issues at the local level and enterprises.

Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh invited Mr. Tith Rithipol to enjoy Tay Ninh's specialty melon.

Many delegates emphasized that the market potential between Vietnam and Cambodia is still very large but is being hindered by the lack of synchronous logistics infrastructure, limited distribution services and differences in technical standards. To overcome this, specific solutions have been proposed, notably increasing the synchronization of technical standards; investing in the development of cold chains and warehouse systems; expanding the electronic customs clearance mechanism; and at the same time building cross-border economic cooperation zones at the border gates of Moc Bai-Bavet (Tay Ninh-Svay Rieng), Le Thanh-Oyadav (Gia Lai-Rattanakiri), Ha Tien-Prek Chak (An Giang-Kampot).

These cooperation zones will focus on developing processing industry, trade, services and logistics, thereby contributing to forming common growth poles, creating a driving force to promote sustainable development of bilateral trade.

Opinions at the conference agreed that developing border trade does not stop at increasing import and export turnover, but more importantly, it is necessary to synchronize border gate infrastructure, improve the quality of logistics services, diversify goods sources, promote regional connectivity and focus on human resource training.

Notably, in order to create a breakthrough in Vietnam-Cambodia trade cooperation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Decision No. 2162/QD-BCT dated July 25, 2025, setting a target of bringing bilateral trade turnover to 20 billion USD by 2030. In the immediate future, by 2027, strive for 100% of warehouses at border gates to meet the demand for goods storage, of which at least 80% provide full-package logistics services, effectively connecting with regional and international supply chains.

From an infrastructure perspective, the conference emphasized the need to upgrade key international border gate systems (Moc Bai, Tinh Bien, Thuong Phuoc, Binh Hiep, Ha Tien, Hoa Lu, Le Thanh); build Tinh Bien logistics center (An Giang), Hoa Lu ICD (Binh Phuoc), Dinh Ba cold storage (Dong Thap), Binh Hiep bonded warehouse (Tay Ninh); and pilot smart border gate and e-customs models at Moc Bai, Vinh Xuong, and Le Thanh to shorten customs clearance time.

Within the framework of the Conference, Vietnamese and Cambodian enterprises organized exhibitions of typical products of each country to introduce, promote and expand opportunities for connection and consumption of products. The exhibition activities not only help businesses of both sides directly approach potential partners but also create conditions for visitors and distributors to better understand the quality, design and strengths of the goods.

This is also an opportunity for businesses to seek long-term cooperation opportunities in production, distribution and logistics, contributing to boosting bilateral trade turnover, while promoting the national image and brand in the regional market.

On the sidelines of the Conference, on September 12, the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade) coordinated with the Department of Industry and Trade of Tay Ninh to organize a Conference on training human resources for management and development of Vietnam's border trade infrastructure.

The conference aims to improve the capacity of traders and managers, and at the same time open up opportunities for connection and experience sharing between state management agencies, associations and the business community in developing border trade infrastructure. At the conference, experts from central ministries, branches, associations and businesses shared and discussed in depth, focusing on comprehensive analysis of key issues in developing Vietnam's border trade.

Anh Tho

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/ket-noi-doanh-nghiep-san-xuat-phan-phoi-va-logistics-viet-nam-campuchia-102250913140701532.htm