Viet Nam, Cambodia strengthen cooperation in combating drug-related crime

Deputy Minister of Public Security of Viet Nam Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long and Commissioner General of the Cambodian National Police General Sar Theth co-chaired the conference.

The conference sought to implement the two Ministries’ 2026 Cooperation Plan and agreements between their leaders on safeguarding security and maintaining order in both countries amid complex global and regional developments and increasingly sophisticated and unpredictable transnational crime.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Long emphasized that the conference marked an important opportunity to review cooperation and develop more targeted and decisive strategies to combat transnational crime and non-traditional crime more effectively in the new situation.

He released that, over the past time, the police forces of the two countries have maintained regular and timely information exchanges and closely coordinated security arrangements for important political events and visits by senior leaders. 

The two sides have also dismantled numerous transnational criminal networks, particularly those involved in online fraud and drug-related crime, arresting hundreds of suspects and rescuing thousands of victims.

At the conference, representatives of relevant agencies shared information on crime and drug control efforts in their respective countries and reviewed bilateral cooperation. 

They assessed new methods and tactics employed by traditional and non-traditional criminals, forecast emerging crime trends and identified potential threats to security and order in both countries.

The two sides also reviewed the 2026 joint Viet Nam–Cambodia anti-drug campaign, assessed cooperation between the two Ministries’ Joint Working Group and the Vietnamese Ministry’s Standing Working Group in Cambodia in combating transnational crime, while identifying ways to improve coordination.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Long and Commissioner General Sar Theth agreed to direct relevant units to promptly implement the commitments and agreements through concrete and substantive cooperation programs and activities. 

These efforts would advance cooperation against crime and drugs into a new phase, contributing to safeguarding national security and maintaining social order and safety for the peaceful and happy lives of both peoples.

At the conclusion of the conference, the two sides signed the minutes outlining future cooperation priorities.

Accordingly, relevant forces along the shared border will strengthen coordination in detecting and preventing transnational crime, particularly online fraud and drug-related crime, as well as activities involving the facilitation and organization of illegal border crossings, illegal gambling, human trafficking and forced labor.

The two sides will also strengthen the public awareness of crime prevention, particularly among border residents, to promote respect for the laws, intergovernmental agreements, customs and practices of each country. These activities will highlight the harmful effects, dangers and consequences of drugs and encourage strict compliance with border management regulations, contributing to a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

The two sides will continue to maintain and consolidate existing cooperation mechanisms and effectively implement the commitments of their Ministries’ senior leaders and the consensus reached at the first Viet Nam–Cambodia Conference on Combating Crime and Drugs in 2026.