Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh backed his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet’s suggestion of forming the “Three Countries One Destination” initiative, which will include Laos, to boost tourism, as the leaders of the two neighbouring countries met on October 20, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Manet’s social media team announced after the meeting that Minh Chinh also supported Manet’s calls to link Phnom Penh-Bavet and Vietnam’s Bavet-Ho Chi Min expressways, along with rail connections.

The Cambodian prime minister requested negotiations of the expressway development project be expedited, during a meeting with Vo Van Thuong, President of Vietnam, when the two attended the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, earlier this week.

“Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed his pleasure to his talks with the prime minister of Vietnam, especially regarding discussion on negotiations to connect the Phnom Penh-Bavet and Bavet-Ho Chi Minh City expressways. The connection will boost the exchange of trade and tourism,” said the post.

Both sides spoke highly on the progressive development of bilateral cooperation in all sectors, and agreed to solidify the cooperation in the defence, security, and law enforcement sectors, among others.

The post added that Minh Chinh praised Cambodia’s stability, development and progress under Manet’s leadership. He also noted that Vietnam would welcome an official visit by Manet in the near future.

The Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway broke ground on June 7, and is estimated to cost more than $1.6 billion. The Kingdom’s second expressway, it will be 138km long, and will include 2.7km of new two-lane bridges. It is expected to be completed in 2027.

Vietnamese media has reported that Vietnam approved phase 1 of the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway project in June. The expressway will run 50km, from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian border.