Phnom Penh (VNA) – A bilateral investment promotion conference between Cambodia’s Stung Treng province and Vietnam’s Gia Lai province was held in Stung Treng city on June 18, aiming to strengthen investment and business ties between the two localities.
The event formed part of a three-day investment promotion programme organised by Gia Lai in Stung Treng and Cambodia’s northeastern region from June 16-18.
Addressing the conference, Stung Treng Governor Sor Soputra said the event would play an important role in promoting investment cooperation between the two provinces in line with their bilateral cooperation agreements.
Highlighting the significant investment potential of both localities, he pledged that the provincial administration would coordinate closely with investors and provide all possible support and incentives in accordance with Cambodia’s Law on Investment, helping ensure the success of businesses from Gia Lai and other localities seeking opportunities in Stung Treng.
For his part, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Gia Lai People’s Committee Nguyen Tuan Thanh said the conference not only showcased Stung Treng’s investment potential and business environment, but also served as a practical platform for local authorities and enterprises of the two countries to exchange information, strengthen connections and explore new cooperation opportunities in investment, trade, agriculture, tourism, logistics and other sectors of mutual interest.
Thanh noted that Vietnam and Cambodia are neighbouring countries with a long-standing tradition of friendship, solidarity, and close-knit ties. Building on that foundation, Gia Lai and Cambodia’s northeastern provinces, including Stung Treng, have maintained close collaboration across multiple fields.
According to the Vietnamese official, following recent administrative restructuring, Gia Lai now covers more than 21,500 sq.km, making it the second-largest province in Vietnam by area. The province has a population of over 3.5 million and an economy valued at about 271 trillion VND (10.2 billion USD).
Located on strategic East-West and North-South transport corridors, Gia Lai serves as a gateway linking Vietnam’s Central Highlands with the south-central coastal region, while also providing access to the East Sea for the Central Highlands, southern Laos and northeastern Cambodia.
He stressed that these advantages create favourable conditions for international trade, regional logistics, processing industries and border-gate economic development.
Thanh also highlighted the strong complementarity between the two provinces. While Stung Treng has advantages in land resources, natural assets and development potential, Gia Lai offers strengths in transport connectivity, processing industries, logistics services and market access, he stated. Combining these strengths could foster new value chains in agriculture, agro-forestry processing, energy, trade, services and border economic development.
During the conference, several cooperation agreements were signed, including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for 2026-2030 cooperation between the youth unions of Stung Treng and Gia Lai, and a MoU on large-timber plantation investment research project between Stung Treng and Phu Tai JSC of Gia Lai.
Speaking at the event, Sim Vireak, Undersecretary of State at Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance and head of the Secretariat of the Northeast Investment Promotion Working Group, praised Stung Treng’s development progress and called for stronger coordination between the two provinces.
He urged both sides to enhance cooperation mechanisms, promote investment opportunities and focus on high-potential sectors such as high-tech agriculture, agro-processing, eco-cultural tourism, renewable energy, trade and services.
As part of the conference, delegates attended specialised investment discussions, visited business projects in the province, and toured an exhibition featuring more than 50 booths showcasing products from enterprises of the two provinces and countries./.
