Cambodia-Vietnam Customs Border Meeting agrees to strengthen cooperation

7th Cambodia-Vietnam Customs Border Meeting in Cambodia. Photo: Vietnam Customs Department

The meeting was held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from September 15 to 17.

The Vietnamese Customs delegation was led by Vu Quang Toan, director of the Customs Department’s Anti-Smuggling Investigation Branch, while the Cambodian delegation was headed by Nou Sytha, Director of the Department of Anti-Smuggling.

The conference was held under the MoU between Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance and Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance on cooperation and mutual assistance in the customs sector, signed on October 4, 2019.

It followed the successful sixth Cambodia-Vietnam Customs Border Meeting, held in Vietnam in 2025, and focused on reviewing cooperation and mutual assistance between the two sides, sharing experience, and discussing measures to improve the effectiveness of efforts to combat smuggling and trade fraud.

At the conference, the two sides reported on their efforts to combat smuggling and trade fraud and reviewed cooperation activities under the MoU since the 2025 conference.

Discussions focused on coordination at Vietnam-Cambodia border gates, the current status of customs control and anti-smuggling efforts, challenges faced by the two sides, and orientations for future cooperation.

The two sides also reviewed information-sharing and joint inspection and control activities, while openly discussing difficulties arising in the enforcement of customs laws in border areas and measures to address them.

Based on the discussions, Vietnam Customs and Cambodia Customs agreed to continue with the contents of the MoU between the two ministries of finance, as well as agreements reached by the leaders of the two customs authorities at recent high-level meetings.

Information sharing was identified as a key area of cooperation. The two sides agreed to strengthen the accurate, and effective sharing of information, ensuring that information is provided promptly to support customs operations.

The signing ceremony between the two customs departments. Photo: Vietnam Customs Department

Vietnam Customs and Cambodia Customs also agreed to step up efforts to combat smuggling involving goods transported in transit through their respective border areas.

The two sides will also apply appropriate measures to ensure that imports and exports are handled legally and in accordance with the international agreements to which both countries are parties.

Cambodia Customs pledged to participate in joint activities under the Mekong Dragon Operation, an initiative launched by Vietnam Customs and China Customs to combat the illicit trafficking of drugs and wildlife.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in public communications and raise awareness among people living in border areas and businesses engaged in cross-border trade about the harmful impacts of smuggling, trade fraud, and drug-related crimes on the economy, society, and national security.

Both sides said the conference would contribute to greater mutual understanding, strengthen friendship between the two countries, and improve the effectiveness of customs cooperation.

The eighth Cambodia-Vietnam Customs Border Meeting will be held in Vietnam in 2027.

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