Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam Tourism Ministers Formalise Cooperation

Ministerial-Level Cooperation Established

Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam (CLV) formally established a ministerial-level tourism cooperation mechanism on 26 August 2026, adopting a Joint Action Plan on CLV Tourism Cooperation for 2026-2028. This agreement aims to promote the "One Journey, Three Destinations" vision through joint tourism products, improved connectivity, and coordinated destination promotion.

The accord was reached during the inaugural CLV Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, hosted in Viet Nam. Attendees included Minister of Tourism Huot Hak of Cambodia, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, and Darany Phommavongsa, representing the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR.

This meeting marked the first ministerial gathering for tourism among the three nations, elevating their collaboration from a technical official level to a ministerial one. This upgrade followed a consensus established at the 1st Trilateral Working Meeting held during the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026, according to an announcement from Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism (MoT).

Six Priority Areas for Regional Tourism Development

The Joint Action Plan for 2026-2028 outlines six key areas for trilateral tourism cooperation. These include developing and linking joint tourism products, streamlining travel processes, enhancing transport connectivity, and undertaking joint tourism promotion and branding under the 'One Journey, Three Destinations' framework.

The plan also focuses on building tourism capacity, fostering sustainable tourism development, and strengthening alliances with international partners. Through these initiatives, the three countries intend to increase tourist flows among themselves, while simultaneously reinforcing cooperation in tourism, trade, and investment.

The MoT announcement stated that these efforts are designed to generate tangible benefits for the populations of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. The emphasis on improved connectivity and joint promotion aims to make travel across the region more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.

Cambodia and Viet Nam Strengthen Bilateral Tourism

On 26 August 2026, coinciding with the ministerial meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) and the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA). This signing occurred under the 'Cambodia Tourism Roadmap to Viet Nam' programme, with Cambodia's MoT Minister presiding over the ceremony.

The MoT reported that this MoU represents a significant outcome of the programme, demonstrating a shared commitment from both tourism associations to bolster tourism cooperation between Cambodia and Viet Nam. The partnership is expected to facilitate joint promotion of tourism destinations and foster closer collaboration between the tourism sectors of the two countries.

Both CATA and HTA expressed their dedication to working with the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments to increase two-way tourist traffic. They also aim to attract more visitors from third-country markets to travel to both Cambodia and Viet Nam through combined tourism promotion and destination links.

Industry Outlook: Leveraging Connectivity for Growth

Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), elaborated on the MoU's objective, describing it as a joint effort to implement cooperation under the theme 'Two countries, One Destination'. Ms Sivlin stated that the two associations will collaborate to promote tourism sites across both Cambodia and Viet Nam.

She noted that Viet Nam draws many European tourists and has extensive flight connections to major tourism markets. By linking with Viet Nam, its airlines will also promote Cambodian tourism destinations through joint advertising.

Ms Sivlin highlighted that CATA and HTA members, being travel agents, share similar objectives in promoting destinations and crafting appealing tourism packages for wider distribution. She underscored the importance of tourism cooperation with Viet Nam due to its size and significant inbound international tourism.

The strategy involves attracting visitors from Viet Nam and those already visiting Viet Nam to extend their trips into Cambodia, thereby increasing regional tourist arrivals.