Vietnam and Cambodia boost defense cooperation, consolidate peaceful border
Vietnam and Cambodia agreed to enhance defense cooperation and maintain a joint peaceful border during talks in Tay Ninh on November 13 between General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, and General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia.
During the talks held as part of the 2nd Vietnam–Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange, both sides emphasized the importance of further strengthening bilateral defense relations.
They highlighted the achievements of recent cooperation, particularly in border management and protection on land and at sea; joint patrols and combating transnational crimes; political and ideological cooperation, education of younger generations about the history and traditions of friendship; and military human resource training, regarded as a strategic field for bilateral relations.
The two sides committed to enhancing information exchange, high-level meetings, promoting existing cooperation mechanisms, and fostering exchanges among young officers and leaders. They also agreed to closely coordinate in handling border-related issues, ensure humane treatment of fishermen, and facilitate trade and economic development in border areas.
They vowed to promote trilateral cooperation among Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia on non-traditional security and hold annual meetings between the ministers of defense of the three countries, according to VOV.
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| Defence Minister Phan Van Giang ò Vietnam and Defense Minister Tea Seiha of Cambodia sign cooperation documents after the talks |
On this occasion, the two ministers signed the 2026 Cooperation Plan, a Memorandum of Understanding on Human Resource Training, and a Border Defense Cooperation Agreement.
They also witnessed the signing of a sisterhood agreement between Moc Bai International Border Guard Station (Vietnam) and the Bavet City Gendarmerie (Cambodia).
General Tea Seiha expressed gratitude to Vietnam for its support to the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense and conveyed his deep condolences over the recent damage caused by subsequent storms and floods in Vietnam.
Vietnam and Cambodia are holding the second Border Defense Friendship Exchange with various activities in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh province on November 13 and in Cambodia’s Svay Rieng province on November 14.
In recent years, bilateral defense cooperation has continued to bring practical results and remains one of the key pillars contributing significantly to the development of the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia.
The 2nd Vietnam–Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange provides an opportunity for the leadership of the two countries’ Ministries of National Defense to meet, share issues of mutual concern, discuss major directions for cooperation, and create momentum to strongly promote the continuous development of bilateral defense relations.
Vietnamese, Chinese Party communication bodies to maintain regular cooperation
Trinh Van Quyet, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Information, Education, and Mass Mobilization, held talks in Hanoi on November 13 with Li Shulei, Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s Secretariat, and head of the CPC Central Committee’s Publicity Department.
The two sides agreed to maintain regular cooperation, focusing on enhancing theory and ideology exchanges.
At the talks, Quyet lauded the success of the 20th theory seminar between the two Parties and stressed that the visit by the Chinese guest helps translate into action the shared perceptions reached by the top leaders of both Parties and countries.
He expressed his belief that the CPC, with Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping at its core, will successfully realise the goals set by its 20th National Congress. The Party official affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance and gives top priority to developing relations with China.
For his part, Li affirmed his readiness to work closely with Quyet and the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Information, Education, and Mass Mobilization to strengthen bilateral cooperation, contributing to the continued growth of China–Vietnam ties.
Host and guest spoke highly of the positive progress in Vietnam-China relations, in which cooperation between the two commissions has played an increasingly important role, reported VNA.
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| At the talks between Trinh Van Quyet, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Information, Education, and Mass Mobilization, and Li Shulei, Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s Secretariat, and head of the CPC Central Committee’s Publicity Department in Hanoi on November 13 (Photo: VNA) |
Highlighting the need to thoroughly implement the common perceptions reached by the two Party chiefs, they agreed to promote Party-to-Party relations in the new period. It is also necessary to step up experience sharing in theory research and Party building, they noted.
The two sides discussed several directions to enhance cooperation and friendly exchanges between their commissions.
Accordingly, the two commissions will boost theory and ideology exchanges and communication about the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation achievements between the two Parties, countries, and peoples, while enhancing collaboration among their media agencies and mass organizations, especially among the younger generations.
Both sides also pledged joint efforts to maintain peace and stability, manage and better resolve differences in accordance with the high-level common perceptions and international law.
HCM City ready to serve as a bridge linking Italy with Vietnam and ASEAN: official
Ho Chi Minh City stands ready to play the role of a “bridge” connecting Italy with Vietnam and the wider ASEAN region, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc said on November 13.
He made the statement while meeting with Marco Della Seta, Italian Ambassador to Vietnam and a delegation of Italian agencies, organizations and enterprises attending the 9th High-Level Dialogue on ASEAN–Italy Economic Relations.
He noted that Italy is among HCM City’s key European trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 450 million USD in the first half of 2025. Italy ranks 24th among the 129 countries and territories investing in the city, with total registered capital of nearly 135 million USD.
The city leader expressed hope for stronger cooperation with Italy in mobilising capital, providing credit guarantees, and developing strategic infrastructure projects in renewable energy, transport, logistics, water supply, drainage and environmental management. He also encouraged expanding public–private partnership (PPP) models and promoting collaboration in development research and technology transfer.
With the upcoming launch of Vietnam’s International Financial Centre in the city, Duoc expressed confidence that cooperation between Italy and Vietnam, particularly with the southern metropolis, will continue to grow substantially and effectively.
Ambassador Della Seta highlighted the city’s vibrant growth, saying it holds great potential for collaboration in areas such as high technology, logistics and shipbuilding. He also noted Italy’s strong interest in the city’s development into a major regional financial hub. The ambassador affirmed that both the Embassy and Consulate General of Italy in HCM City will support Italian firms in expanding ties with the city, focusing on common economic development goals.
The same day, the 9th High-Level Dialogue on ASEAN–Italy Economic Relations opened in HCM City, drawing more than 500 delegates from ASEAN and Italy, including officials, enterprises, experts and representatives from international organizations.
In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung reaffirmed the country’s role as a responsible ASEAN member, accompanying the region on its path of integration and sustainable growth. Vietnam, he said, is proud to be Italy’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and a strategic gateway for European investors.
He highlighted ASEAN’s significance as a bloc of 680 million people with a combined GDP of over 4 trillion USD, making it the world’s fifth-largest economy. ASEAN, he noted, has become a key link in global supply chains and an important driver of regional stability and growth.
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| At the meeting between Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc and Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta (Photo: VNA) |
Trung said Italy’s official recognition as a Development Partner of ASEAN marked a strategic step forward, reflecting both sides’ shared commitment to deeper economic and trade ties, knowledge exchange and sustainable development.
He also emphasized Vietnam’s national development strategy for 2021–2030, built on three strategic breakthroughs: perfecting market economic institutions, developing high-quality human resources, and building synchronous and smart infrastructure. These priorities, he said, will not only reinforce Vietnam’s growth but also open new cooperation opportunities between ASEAN and Italy.
In his speech, Duoc reiterated the city’s readiness to work with Italy and Europe in green economy, renewable energy towards Net Zero by 2050, smart infrastructure, sustainable logistics and urban planning. He also encouraged collaboration in education, research, training, culture, and creative tourism.
Participants at the dialogue agreed on four strategic directions for future cooperation, namely the Net Zero Pathway, smart manufacturing 4.0–5.0, next-generation infrastructure, and innovation and digital transformation.
Lorenzo Tavazzi, Senior Partner and Board Member of The European House – Ambrosetti, said the dialogue marked a shift from traditional trade to high-value cooperation based on technology and creativity, laying the foundation for joint development of green value chains, R&D centres, high-tech start-ups and smart logistics corridors.
Italy is currently Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in the European Union. In the first seven months of 2025, two-way trade reached 4.3 billion USD, up 5.1% year on year. Italy currently operates 162 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of over 624 million USD. Vietnamese enterprises have invested in 11 projects in Italy with a combined value of nearly 700,000 USD.
Direct air service between Vietnam, Israel to be launched next year
Israel’s Arkia Airlines is set to launch a direct air route between Tel Aviv and Hanoi, starting from January next year, contributing to the strengthening of tourism, investment, and trade connections between the two countries.
Arkia's commercial sales director Sapir Ifergan announced the above information during her working session with Commercial Counselor at Vietnam Trade Office in Israel Le Thai Hoa in Tel Aviv, on November 12.
According to Ifergan, the first flight is scheduled to be inaugurated on January 5, 2026, departing from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and arriving at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.
Arkia will operate one flight per week from January to June 2026.
In March 2026, the airline may increase the frequency to two flights per week, as this period coincides with several public holidays in Israel, when travel demand from Israeli passengers is expected to rise, VGP reported.
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| Photo: VGP |
The route will be served by a wide-body aircraft with a capacity of approximately 290 seats.
Arkia will become the first Israeli airline to operate a direct flight to Vietnam.
In 2024, trade between the two countries reached US$3.247 billion, of which Vietnam's exports amounted to US$794.6 million.
In the first ten months of this year, Vietnam's exports to Israel totaled US$704.3 million, up 4.1 percent, while imports from Israel reached US$2.368 billion, up 22.9 percent.
It is estimated that bilateral trade for the entire year 2025 will reach around US$3.70 billion.
Regarding investment cooperation, to date, Israel's investment in Vietnam has reached US$155.90 million across 45 projects, while Vietnam's investment in Israel stood at US$78.25 million.
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