Metfone and its 15-year journey in the land of temples.

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Phnom Penh, on the evening of February 19th, at the Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel, Viettel Cambodia, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Military Telecommunications Group (Viettel), held a ceremony to celebrate 15 years of business operations in the Cambodian market under the Metfone brand – a symbol of friendship and economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries and peoples of Cambodia and Vietnam.

Photo caption — Chairman of Viettel Group, Tao Duc Thang, speaks at the event. Photo: VNA

The ceremony was attended by the Vietnamese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Nguyen Huy Tang, and the Chairman of Viettel Group, Tao Duc Thang. On the Cambodian side were the Speaker of the National Assembly, Khuon Sudary; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, Tea Seiha; the Supreme Advisor to the King of Cambodia and Chairman of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association, Samdech Men Sam An; the Supreme Advisor to the King, Tea Banh; and representatives of Metfone's staff and employees from various periods. Speaking at the event, Chairman of Viettel Group, Tao Duc Thang, stated that over the past 15 years, Viettel has invested in and conducted long-term business, utilizing and transferring the most advanced technologies and effective experiences, contributing to social benefits for Cambodia: implementing programs to support education such as school internet access, and assisting disadvantaged people in society. Furthermore, Viettel is committed to allocating a portion of its network capacity to local authorities to establish a dedicated network for national governance. According to Mr. Tao Duc Thang, Cambodia's stable economic growth, with sustainable growth rates over the past two decades, coupled with a sound development strategy and the close leadership and attention of the Cambodian government, is the reason Viettel chose Cambodia as its first country to expand globally. This creates an opportunity for Viettel to jointly realize the goal of universalizing telecommunications services, helping all Cambodian people access and enjoy the benefits of technology. Mr. Tao Duc Thang emphasized that, five years ago, Metfone in particular and Viettel in general embraced a new mission: to become a pioneering enterprise leading the digital transformation process in Cambodia. Metfone has applied and developed advanced 4.0 technologies to provide digital platforms, solutions, and services, contributing to Cambodia's prosperity and sustainability with four key focuses: Digital government for better service to citizens, digital economy for greater wealth, digital society for greater happiness, and cybersecurity for safer living and working. To date, Metfone is a leading enterprise in the digital finance sector and a pioneer in digital transformation for the Cambodian government and its ministries. The company has signed cooperation agreements with most ministries in the Cambodian government on digital transformation, including particularly important projects with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. Viettel Group Chairman Tao Duc Thang affirmed that with the desire to continue contributing to building Cambodia and helping all Cambodian people have a better life, with the motto of innovation for people, every solution, every product, every action of Metfone will do everything possible to ensure that no Cambodian person is left behind thanks to technology.

Speaking about Metfone's contributions over the past 15 years in Cambodia, Mr. Cao Manh Duc, General Director of Metfone, shared: "We have always been determined to bring the best to the Cambodian people, to be the Cambodian network operator and to benefit the people here." Overcoming many initial difficulties and obstacles, Metfone has gradually become a strong telecommunications enterprise in Cambodia over the years. Looking back at 2023, Mr. Cao Manh Duc expressed that Metfone is a business with many outstanding areas, not only reflected in profit figures, but also in the trust of the local people, as well as a bridge of friendship and solidarity between the two countries and peoples. Sharing about the journey ahead, Mr. Cao Manh Duc said that in 2024, Metfone will focus on boosting revenue growth outside of telecommunications, which is considered a challenging task; At the same time, they expressed their commitment to always stand alongside the Cambodian Government and businesses in building an increasingly prosperous and strong country, so that Metfone will continue to be a bridge to further strengthen the solidarity and friendship between the two Parties, States and Governments of Vietnam and Cambodia.

Also at this event, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha highly appreciated Metfone's investment journey in the telecommunications sector over the years, thereby seeking new development opportunities and outlining future operational directions to bring even greater achievements in Cambodia.

On behalf of the Cambodian Government, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Seiha congratulated Metfone on its achievements over the years and expressed hope that Metfone would continue to strive to better fulfill its mission, in line with the Royal Cambodian Government's "Pentagon Strategy Phase 1" in the development of the digital economy and society during its 7th term. According to Deputy Prime Minister Tea Seiha, with the strategic direction of promoting a digital technology revolution in the economic sector, the Cambodian Government has implemented many programs and policies in a positive spirit, responding to proposals from relevant partners and working together with them to contribute to the development of Cambodia's digital economy and society. Deputy Prime Minister Tea Seiha emphasized that Metfone's success and continuous development symbolize the friendly cooperative relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam, and attract more telecommunications investors to Cambodia.

During the event, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Seiha awarded the prestigious Monisaraphon Order, Moha Sereyvath class, of the Cambodian Royal Family to Metfone and three individuals from Viettel Group and Metfone. On this occasion, Metfone also officially announced the launch and introduction of its TV 360 application to partners and users in the Cambodian market. This digital application offers a variety of entertainment features and online television channels, including Cambodian television channels.