PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged Vietnam to pay more attention to boosting Cambodia-Vietnam trade relations, particularly in regard to transforming former battlefields in Cambodia into zones of development zones and special economic zones (SEZs) with Vietnam.

Prime Minister Hun Sen met with a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Party Secretary of Hanoi, Dinh Tien Dung, at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Wednesday morning. During the meeting, the Hanoi Party Secretary praised Cambodia's Covid-19 prevention measures and the controlled Covid-19 situation in Phnom Penh, further stating that he would like to strengthen ties between Phnom Penh and Hanoi.

In response, Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed happiness over the trade relations between Cambodia and Vietnam, which has thus far exceeded the planned US $500 billion in total trade volume. He also urged Vietnam to further establish more economic and trade cooperation regarding the transformation of former battlefields into development zones as well.

The Personal Assistant of the Prime Minister, Eang Sophalleth, told reporters after the meeting, "Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that we [Cambodia and Vietnam] must pay more attention to promoting economic and trade cooperation in the areas that are former battlefields, to [transform them] into special economic and trade development zones, as well as to see what more both capitals can do together."

Vietnam ranks first among ASEAN countries in terms of direct investment in Cambodia, with trade between the two countries exceeding US $9 billion in 2021 alone.