Defense minister highlights enduring friendship with Cambodia
Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Gen. Phan Van Giang highlighted the enduring traditional friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia during a reception in Hanoi on March 9 for Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense Gen. Prum Din.
Giang, who also serves as Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Cambodian People’s Party headed by President Hun Sen, and the governance of the Government led by Prime Minister Hun Manet, Cambodia will achieve even greater accomplishments in the coming time.
He recalled that Party General Secretary To Lam’s early February visits to Laos and Cambodia carried profound political significance, demonstrating Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching special importance and giving top priority to its relations with both nations.
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| Minister of National Defense Gen. Phan Van Giang (R) hands over a gift to Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense Gen. Prum Din at their meeting in Hanoi on March 9 (Photo: qdnd.vn) |
According to him, the defense relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia has been growing in recent years, with their high-ranking leaders hailing it as a key pillar of broader bilateral ties.
The host lauded the positive outcomes of defense ties, notably the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly those at high level, along with the maintenance of dialogue and information-sharing mechanisms. Cooperation has also advanced in training and capacity building, border management and protection, friendship exchanges and twinning activities, public education on bilateral relations, the search and repatriation of fallen soldiers’ remains, and mutual coordination and support at multilateral forums.
Looking to priority areas for 2026, Giang proposed jointly following agreed initiatives, including regular delegation visits and cooperation mechanisms, personnel training, border protection and management, and the fight against transnational crime, particularly the dismantling of online fraud networks, according to VNA.
On the occasion, he invited leaders of the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense and army defense enterprises to the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2026.
Prum Din, in reply, thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for their assistance in overthrowing the genocidal Pol Pot regime and aiding Cambodia's revival.
He voiced his hope that both sides will continue following the agreed defense activities, fostering ties between the two countries and their armies.
Vietnam welcomes nearly 4.7 million foreign visitors in January–February
Vietnam received nearly 4.7 million international visitors in the first two months of 2026, up 18.1% year-on-year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
Tourist arrivals by air accounted for the largest share with more than 3.83 million visitors, representing 81.8% of the total. Arrivals by land made up 15.8% while sea travel accounted for 2.4%.
In February alone, the country welcomed more than 2.2 million foreign visitors, marking the third consecutive month that the number of international arrivals exceeded the two-million mark, following 2.45 million in January 2026 and 2.02 million in December 2025.
Asian tourists continued to dominate the market structure, with around 3.4 million arrivals during the two-month period, accounting for 73% of the total and increasing by over 10.2% compared with the same period last year.
The Republic of Korea (RoK) remained Vietnam’s largest source market with about 971,000 visitors, up around 10% year-on-year. The market has maintained stable growth, reflecting the continued popularity of Vietnam’s beach destinations, golf tourism and family travel, as well as convenient air services between the two countries.
China ranked second with around 923,000 arrivals, while visitors from Taiwan (China) reached more than 220,000 during the period. Together with Japan, these markets continued to reinforce Northeast Asia’s role as a key source of international tourists to Vietnam.
India emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets, with about 158,000 visitors in the first two months of the year, up more than 71% year-on-year. The strong increase reflected Vietnam’s efforts to diversify its visitor sources, alongside the expansion of direct flights, stronger tourism promotion and rising outbound travel demand among India’s growing middle class.
Within Southeast Asia, several markets recorded robust growth. Visitor numbers from the Philippines surged by 72%, Singapore by 35%, Indonesia by 27% and Malaysia by 16.5%. Cambodia posted the highest growth rate in the region at 95.1% compared with the same period in 2025. The VNAT attributed the increases to stronger intra-ASEAN tourism cooperation, geographical proximity and convenient transport links.
The European market also saw strong recovery, with 847,000 arrivals in the two-month period, rising 67.4% year-on-year. Major markets posting positive growth included the UK (17.1%), France (19.8%) and Germany (17.5%).
Russia remained the largest European source market with 247,000 visitors, soaring 212.5% year-on-year. Russian tourists are particularly drawn to Vietnam’s warm coastal destinations such as Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Phan Thiet–Mui Ne, where they often spend extended holidays, cited VNA.
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| Tourism ambassadors of an agricultural tourism experience program. (Photo: VNA) |
According to the VNAT, Vietnam’s growing appeal among European travelers is supported by favourable visa policies, including extended visa exemptions, more convenient e-visa procedures and expanded direct air routes.
Visitor numbers from other regions also recorded positive growth. The Americas saw 278,000 visitors during the period. With 210,000 arrivals, the US remained among Vietnam’s 10 largest source markets, up 6.3% year-on-year, while Canada recorded around 50,000 visitors, an increase of 22.9%.
Australia and New Zealand together contributed about 130,000 visitors, up nearly 15% compared with the same period last year, while Africa recorded about 12,100 arrivals, rising more than 32%.
The VNAT said the strong growth from Northeast Asia, ASEAN and Europe shows that Vietnam’s international tourism market structure is becoming increasingly diverse and balanced, creating a solid foundation for the tourism sector to sustain growth momentum and strengthen competitiveness in the region and the world.
Vietnam may activate petroleum price stabilization measures amid Middle East tensions
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) proposed activating price stabilization measures if retail petroleum prices increase continuously within a month with a cumulative rise of 20 percent or more in order to control sudden price spikes and maintain market stability.
The proposal is included in a draft circular guiding the draft decree on petroleum trading. It specifies additional provisions on a price stabilization mechanism covering gasoline, bio-gasoline and diesel.
Under the draft circular, the stabilization mechanism would be considered when retail petroleum prices surge sharply within one month, with a cumulative increase of at least 20 percent. Such a spike, the ministry noted, could pose potential negative impacts on the macroeconomy, inflation and people's livelihoods.
In such cases, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to analyze market developments and report to the Government for consideration and decision.
Price monitoring and evaluation would be based on retail prices announced by key petroleum traders — a representative group whose total output accounts for more than 70 percent of the market. After the Government issues a policy directive, the ministry will guide local authorities to implement price stabilization measures in accordance with the Law on Prices.
Currently, petroleum price stabilization in Vietnam is implemented through a combination of supply–demand management and financial tools, including the Petroleum Price Stabilization Fund.
The fund was established in 2009 under Decree 84 on petroleum trading. It operates on the principle of accumulating funds when prices are low and disbursing them when prices are high in order to moderate market fluctuations, VGP reported.
In practice, when the base retail price of petroleum rises excessively, the use of the fund helps ease the price burden on consumers.
The fund is financed through a levy included in the retail price, paid by consumers at VND300 per litre. However, while the fund is managed by enterprises, decisions on its use are made by regulators — an inter-ministerial body comprising the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance — during each price adjustment cycle.
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| Photo: VGP |
Since late 2023, however, the two ministries have neither set aside contributions to nor disbursed funds from the stabilization mechanism.
As of the end of the third quarter of 2025, the fund's balance stood at more than VND5.617 trillion. The five enterprises with the largest balances include Petrolimex with VND3.085 trillion, Dong Thap Petroleum with VND461 billion, Ho Chi Minh City Petroleum with VND328 billion, Thanh Le with VND391 billion, and Military Petroleum with VND300 billion.
In addition to price stabilization provisions, the draft circular retains the mechanism allowing key petroleum traders and distributors to independently announce and adjust retail prices within their distribution systems, except for fuel oil, which remains subject to wholesale pricing.
Enterprises will be required to declare prices and submit reports to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and local regulatory agencies through monitoring applications and software.
Retailers that are not part of the distribution networks of key traders or distributors will also be allowed to independently announce and adjust prices at their outlets. Their price declaration procedures will be similar to those applied to key traders and distributors.
When changing the method or principles used to calculate prices, petroleum trading companies must notify regulatory agencies before implementing the changes.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as of the end of February Vietnam had 33 key petroleum traders, including five aviation fuel traders and two refining and petrochemical producers. The market also has around 250 distributors, nearly 25 percent fewer than three years ago.
For 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has allocated a minimum total petroleum supply of nearly 31.8 million cubic meters/tons to enterprises.
The ministry said the country's fuel supply for March is "basically secured," while urging gasoline businesses not to hoard fuel or restrict sales amid rising global oil prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East.
According to state-owned Petrovietnam, Vietnam's crude oil production is currently about 180,000 barrels per day, with approximately 150,000 barrels per day supplied to the Dung Quat refinery.
In addition to domestic production, fuel distributors continue importing refined petroleum products, though import and transportation costs are increasing.
"Together with circulating reserves required at enterprises, gasoline supply for the domestic market in March is basically ensured," the ministry said.
However, officials warned that if the conflict in the Middle East persists into April, the domestic market could face greater supply pressure and higher costs.
The Prime Minister also established a task force to ensure national energy security, while the Ministry of Industry and Trade has formed a specialized working group to monitor developments and propose policy responses.
Vietnam among top five emerging travel destinations for 2026
Vietnam has been ranked among the top five emerging travel destinations competing for international visitors in 2026, according to a list compiled by travel website Travel and Tour World.
According to the website, Vietnam has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing tourism markets. In 2025, the country welcomed more than 21 million international travelers, surpassing previous records.
It revealed that part of this growth was supported by expanded visa exemptions for travelers from several European countries, making entry easier and encouraging new visitor markets.
Travel and Tour World also stressed that despite the rising visitor numbers, much of the country still feels relatively untouched by mass tourism.
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| Stunning natural landscape of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam. |
“Vietnam’s long coastline, mountain regions and historic cities offer a wide range of travel experiences spread across the country”, it added.
Many travelers combine vibrant urban centres such as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City with cultural destinations like Hoi An and Hue, before heading to beach regions along the central and southern coasts.
The website noted that the country’s culinary traditions also remain a strong draw for international visitors, with regional food cultures playing an important role in the travel experience.
Rounding off the list of top 5 included Namibia Joins Canada, Brazil, and Lithuania.
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