A workshop was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 7 to increase Vietnamese investments in the country.

The event, hosted by the Vietnam Embassy in Cambodia, saw the participation of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Cam Tu, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Thach Du and representatives from the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Cambodia (AVIC), banks and businesses.

Du highlighted Vietnamese investors’ efforts in the host country as contributing to Cambodia’s economic development and fostering the traditional friendship between the two nations, especially in the context of the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.

Participants heard reports presented by Minister Councillor to Cambodia Lai Xuan Chien on the local business climate with focus on the political, social and economic situation of the country.

They also highlighted difficulties in doing business in Cambodia and suggested the Ministry and the Government of Vietnam create more favourable conditions for their investment in Cambodia.

For his part, Tu highlighted the significance of the event in facilitating Vietnamese investment in the country and expressed his hope that investors would be equipped to improve their business operations, contributing to strengthening trade and friendship between the two nations.

Trade between Vietnam and Cambodia exceeded 3 billion USD in 2014 with Vietnamese exports hitting 2.66 billion USD.

Vietnam is Cambodia’s fourth largest trade partner with 129 valid projects in finance and banking, agriculture, healthcare, telecommunications and traffic, among others.-VNA