Phnom Penh (VNA) – Analysts in Phnom Penh have said that the most significant outcome of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet’s ongoing official visit to Vietnam and participation in the ASEAN Future Forum 2026 is to strengthen strategic trust between the two neighbouring countries.
They noted that the visit also underscores the close and trusted relationship between leaders of both nations, who have continued to seek ways to deepen and expand cooperation across all areas at the bilateral, regional and international levels.
Speaking to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in Phnom Penh, Dr Gnel Rattha, President of the Cambodia–Russia Business Association and a geopolitical and international economic analyst, said the trip is PM Hun Manet’s second official visit to Vietnam since assuming office, following his first trip in December 2023.
According to Rattha, the core significance of the visit lies in building and further reinforcing strategic trust with Vietnam’s new leadership, while ensuring that bilateral relations remain resilient despite domestic political changes in either country. He noted that Cambodia and Vietnam share the longest land border among mainland ASEAN nations.
From a geopolitical perspective, he said the visit also reflects efforts to maintain diplomatic stability and balance, particularly within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), amid recent shifts in the regional diplomatic landscape. It provides an opportunity for both countries to coordinate responses to issues affecting the region.
Rattha also highlighted that this marks the first time a Cambodian prime minister has participated in a regional forum initiated and hosted by Vietnam, one that focuses on the bloc’s future development.
He said Cambodia is seeking to leverage the forum to explore ways to increase bilateral trade and strengthen infrastructure connectivity between the two neighbours. In particular, the seamless connectivity of the Phnom Penh–Bavet expressway with Ho Chi Minh City has been identified as a critical infrastructure project and an important economic driver capable of generating greater economic scale while contributing to regional stability and security.
Sharing a similar view, Him Raksmey, Executive Director of the Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies (CCRS), said the bilateral relations have remained closely connected in recent years and should continue to be strengthened in the period ahead.
Raksmey noted that PM Hun Manet’s key foreign policy priorities are consistent with efforts to enhance the longstanding friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam.
He observed that the bilateral relations have continued to deepen in recent years through frequent high-level exchanges, expanding economic and trade cooperation, and growing people-to-people ties. At the regional and global levels, the two countries have also coordinated closely in supporting a rules-based international order and advancing development agendas.
According to the expert, both sides have consistently upheld the spirit of friendship while working together to strengthen and broaden cooperation and address outstanding issues through existing bilateral mechanisms.
He stressed that this reflects the close and trusted relationship between their leaders, who have continued to coordinate closely in seeking solutions to further expand cooperation across all sectors, both bilaterally and within regional and international frameworks./.
