Phnom Penh: Cambodia emerged as the ninth-largest source of international tourists to Vietnam in 2024, according to H.E. Nguyen Minh Vu, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the Ambassador shared this insight during an exclusive interview on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Ambassador Nguyen highlighted the burgeoning tourism exchange, noting that approximately 1.2 million Vietnamese tourists visited Cambodia in 2024, constituting 18 percent of the Kingdom’s total foreign arrivals. Concurrently, some 475,000 Cambodian travellers journeyed to Vietnam, securing Cambodia’s spot among Vietnam’s top ten inbound tourism markets.
“Vietnam and Cambodia are close neighbours sharing both land and maritime borders, which creates excellent conditions for boosting cooperation in the tourism sector-not just between the two countries but also in attracting international tourists to the region,” the Ambassador stated. Looking ahead, both countries are dedicated to strengthening tourism collaboration under the 2023-2028 Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation.
Key areas of focus include streamlining travel by improving entry and exit procedures to facilitate cross-border movement, boosting connectivity through increased direct flights between major cities and popular tourist destinations, enhancing information exchange on tourism data and insights, and collaborating on joint promotion campaigns and developing combined tour packages.
The Ambassador also emphasised aligning tourism initiatives with the visions of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. He advocated for promoting the joint tourism slogan ‘Two Countries, One Destination’, and a broader regional approach to include Laos with ‘Three Countries, One Destination.’
Furthermore, Vietnam supports deeper cooperation within the six Mekong sub-region countries, as well as under the frameworks of ASEAN and ASEAN+3 tourism agreements. The goal is to collectively attract more regional and international visitors. “We are committed to intensifying promotional activities, including participating in each other’s tourism expos such as the annual International Tourism Expo in Ho Chi Minh City,” the Ambassador added.
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu concluded by urging stronger partnerships between Cambodian tourism associations and Vietnamese tourism enterprises. The focus, he noted, should be on increasing two-way tourist flows to key destinations. For Vietnam, these include Da Lat, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, and Ha Long Bay. In Cambodia, highlights encompass Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Preah Vihear, and the eco-tourism sites in the country’s northeast. He also encouraged the exploration of new direct flight routes between major cities and tourism hubs to enhance connectivity and convenience for travellers.