Vietnam Deputy PM visits Cambodia

July 25, 2009
Xinhua

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong arrived here on Saturday to pay three-day official visit to Cambodia.

During his visit, Truong Vinh Trong, who is also a representative of the Vietnamese prime minister, will attend a signing ceremony on the Declaration of the Establishment of Cambodia National Carrier -- Cambodia Angkor Air -- and the inauguration of the representative office of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) in Phnom Penh, according to the statement of government.

Moreover, Truong Vinh Trong, to be accompanied by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Council of Ministers Sok An, will take the first flight of the Cambodia Angkor Air from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, the location of world famous Angkor Wat, on Sunday.

Truong Vinh Trong will also pay courtesy calls on Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen during his stay here.

Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) is a joint venture between the government and state-owned Vietnam Airlines. Hun Sen is to preside over CAA's official launch on Sunday.

Only two ATR 72 planes will be first operational and will expand upon demands. It is the first national air carrier since the first of its kind went bankrupt in 2001. Cambodia's national airline Royal Air Cambodge, a joint venture with Malaysia Helicopter Services, closed down in 2001, after it lost about 20 million U.S. dollars since it began operations in 1994.

Over the past few years, Cambodia has been seeking foreign partners to re-establish its own new national airline, but was unsuccessful.