On the morning of November 28, a special aircraft carrying Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and a high-ranking delegation arrived in Hanoi, marking the beginning of his state visit to Vietnam.

The visit, taking place from November 28–29, is at the invitation of Vietnamese President Luong Cuong.

Accompanying King Norodom Sihamoni are several senior Cambodian officials, including:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace, Senior Advisor to the King, Samdech Mahamontrei Kuy Sophal;
Deputy Prime Minister Neth Savoeun;
Senior Advisor to the King and Deputy Chief of the King’s Office, Chan Samdarind;
Senator and Chairperson of the Senate’s 8th Committee, Mean Som An;
Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the National Assembly’s 5th Committee, Sous Yara;
Several Secretaries of State for the Royal Palace and Cambodia's Ambassador to Vietnam, Chea Kimtha.
At the airport to welcome the delegation were Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, leaders from the Hanoi People’s Committee, Vietnam’s Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Huy Tang, and representatives from the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

King Norodom Sihamoni seldom undertakes visits to neighboring countries, including ASEAN member states. However, since ascending to the throne on October 29, 2004, he has visited Vietnam three times—in 2006, 2012, and 2018. This state visit marks his fourth trip to Vietnam.

During this visit, King Sihamoni is scheduled to hold discussions with Vietnam’s top leaders, further strengthening the bonds between the two nations.

Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang emphasized that the King wishes to convey warm sentiments of friendship and solidarity from Cambodia’s leadership and people to Vietnam. These exchanges aim to deepen political trust, enhance bilateral cooperation across various sectors, and foster economic, cultural, and educational ties.

King Sihamoni’s visit follows a series of high-level exchanges between the two countries in 2023–2024. These include:

A state visit to Cambodia by then-President (now General Secretary) To Lam in July 2023.

An official visit to Cambodia by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man in November 2024.

Earlier visits to Vietnam by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and National Assembly President Khuon Sudary in December 2023.
The strong Vietnam-Cambodia partnership continues to flourish, with notable achievements in trade, investment, and other areas:

Trade: Bilateral trade reached $8.3 billion in the first 10 months of 2024, a 17.5% increase year-over-year, with a goal of $20 billion in the near future.

Investment: Vietnam has 205 active investment projects in Cambodia, worth $2.94 billion, making it Cambodia’s top ASEAN investor and one of its largest global partners.

Collaborations in education, transport, culture, healthcare, and telecommunications are also being actively promoted. The two countries maintain close cooperation in international and regional forums, including the United Nations, ASEAN, and mechanisms such as GMS, CLMV, and ACMECS.

Tran Thuong