Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will visit Vietnam on Monday and Tuesday next week at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

This will be the Cambodian leader’s first visit to neighboring Vietnam since he took office in August.

Manet previously visited Vietnam in August last year when he was Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

PM Chinh will chair a welcome ceremony for his Cambodian counterpart.

They will hold talks and witness the signing of cooperation agreements.

The two leaders were set to visit the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi and talk to students there.

They will also attend the Vietnam-Cambodia trade and investment promotion forum.

During his working trip, the Cambodian premier will meet with Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Vo Van Thuong, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Ties between Vietnam and Cambodia have developed stably and positively since they were established in 1967.

High-level diplomatic exchanges between the two countries have intensified, with the latest visit made by President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Khuon Sudary to Vietnam earlier this month.

PM Chinh and PM Manet met for the first time when they attended the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Indonesia in September this year.

During the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in China in October, State President Thuong had a meeting with PM Manet.

He transferred PM Chinh’s invitation for a visit to Vietnam to Manet and got the latter’s agreement.

During these meetings, the two sides agreed to boost high-level exchanges to deepen the two countries’ relations.

There is ample room for Vietnam and Cambodia to enhance their cooperation in economy and infrastructure, expert said.

The two countries’ bilateral trade reached a record of more than US$11 billion last year.

In the January-July period this year, the figure was $5.3 billion, with Vietnam earning $3 billion from exports to the neighboring country.

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Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, along with his spouse Peng Liyuan, will pay a state visit to Vietnam on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, the Vietnamese Communist Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations said in a press release on Thursday.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his spouse, as well as State President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.

This will be Xi’s third trip to Vietnam as the Chinese Party general secretary and president.

His previous visits took place in 2015 and 2017.

Vietnam will be the second country to welcome the Chinese leader without combining multilateral activities this year, following Russia in March. 

Xi’s trip is scheduled to take place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

During the visit, the Chinese leader will meet and hold important talks with Vietnam’s high-ranking leaders.

The Vietnam-China relations have developed strongly and resulted in significant achievements over the past time.

High-level diplomatic exchanges between the two countries have intensified, marked by numerous visits, including the one where Vietnamese Party General Secretary Trong visited China in October of the previous year.

China is Vietnam’s largest trade partner, while Vietnam is China’s fourth-biggest trade partner in the world and the latter’s largest trade partner in ASEAN.

The two sides’ bilateral trade reached US$155.58 billion in January-November this year. Of the total, Vietnam exported $55.98 billion worth of products to the northern neighbor, up 6.2 percent year on year and accounting for 17.3 percent of Vietnam’s total shipments.

The Southeast Asian nation spent $99.6 billion on imports from China, down nine percent over the same period last year, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

As of September 20 this year, China ranked sixth among the 144 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with over 4,000 active projects and $26 billion in registered capital, news site VnExpress reported.

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Finland aims to further promote trade as well as other cooperation with Vietnam and the Finnish Embassy in Hanoi will serve as a strong bridge for that promotion, Finnish Ambassador to Vietnam Keijo Norvanto affirmed on Wednesday.

The ambassador made these remarks during a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Finland and the celebration of Finland’s 106th Independence Day.

The event took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern economic hub, on the same day.

This is the first time that a ceremony to celebrate Finland’s Independence Day has been held in the city, he told deputy chairman of the city’s administration Vo Van Hoan, who attended the event.

The ambassador conveyed his delight at the productive evolution of the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries over the past 50 years.

He noted that the social and economic strengths of both nations have complemented each other, contributing to their mutual sustainability, competitiveness, and prosperity.

Since the Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect in 2020, trade between Vietnam and Finland has had impressive growth, reaching US$430 million last year.

With such trade performance, Vietnam has become the largest trading partner of Finland in Southeast Asia, Norvanto said.

He expressed optimism for the robust promotion of bilateral trade and other forms of cooperation between the two sides.

The ambassador emphasized that both the Finnish Embassy in Hanoi and the Business Finland – Finland Trade Center in Ho Chi Minh City will persist in their roles as effective bridges for facilitating such promotion, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

As a longstanding partner of the city, Finland actively engaged in the Week for Ho Chi Minh City Innovation, Startup, and Entrepreneurship, organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee from November 23 to 25, the diplomat pointed out.

This involvement is an integral component of Finland’s collaboration in areas aligned with the city’s interests, namely smart urban development, sustainability, circular economy, green port initiatives, and digital transformation, he further explained.

Addressing the ceremony, Hoan congratulated the ambassador on the Independence Day and on the Northern European country’s strong political system and socio-economic achievements after 106 years of establishment.

He underscored the robust diplomatic ties, friendship, and multifaceted cooperation between the two nations over the years.

He noted that Vietnam deeply appreciates Finland’s historical support during the former’s struggle for national independence and in the ongoing process of national construction and development.

As one of the Vietnamese localities at the forefront of collaboration with Finland, Ho Chi Minh City currently hosts 22 projects initiated by Finnish investors, boasting a cumulative investment exceeding $3.5 million.

The European country now ranks 53rd in the list of 120 countries and territories investing in the city, Hoan told the ceremony.

“Despite problems facing the world, including non-traditional security challenges such as epidemics and climate change, Vietnam and Finland, driven by their determination and creativity, will turn challenges into opportunities and join hands to develop for the benefits and prosperity of each nation,” the official stated.

In a related development, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto affirmed the significant partnership between their two countries.

They jointly agreed to enhance trade and investment cooperation, leveraging the potential of the EVFTA.

They reached this agreement during their meeting on December 1, held on the sidelines of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as reported by the Vietnam Government Portal.

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