A Cambodian social affairs analyst has raised questions over the country’s nationality policy, arguing that any foreign government requesting Cambodian citizenship for its nationals living in Cambodia should, in return, offer citizenship to Cambodians residing in their own territory.
On Monday, analyst Lao Mong Hay stated on Facebook that if foreign governments do not offer citizenship to their nationals residing illegally in Cambodia, there is little justification for asking Cambodia to naturalise them. He added that most foreign residents in the country already hold nationality from their country of origin and do not require Cambodian citizenship.
His comments follow government confirmation that thousands of Vietnamese nationals living illegally in Cambodia have been granted Cambodian citizenship. As of 2025, the Ministry of Interior reports more than 5,000 foreign nationals have received Cambodian citizenship since 1999, the majority believed to be Vietnamese.
According to official data, approximately 4,685 of the 5,000 foreign citizens naturalised in Cambodia are Vietnamese. A letter from the Ministry of Interior dated July 10, 2020, shows that only 315 permanent residency applications were from nationals of ten other foreign countries, while over 89,000 applications were from Vietnamese nationals.
The same letter confirms that more than 28,000 Vietnamese families are currently living in Cambodia as permanent residents. These figures suggest a dramatic imbalance in the granting of Cambodian legal status to foreign nationals, heavily favoring one group.
Critics argue this policy may effectively grant automatic citizenship to tens of thousands of Vietnamese nationals. Under Article 19 of Cambodia’s nationality law, foreign nationals who maintain legal residency in Cambodia for seven consecutive years become eligible for Cambodian citizenship through naturalisation.
Based on that law, over 89,000 permanent residents, including roughly 89,471 Vietnamese nationals who have resided in Cambodia since 2019, could become Cambodian citizens by 2026.
Analysts further claim that while Vietnamese authorities have not explicitly demanded Cambodian citizenship for their nationals, they have consistently requested permanent residency status, which under Cambodian law can lead to automatic citizenship after seven years.
This debate highlights long-standing sensitivities surrounding nationality, migration, and demographic balance in Cambodia. The government has yet to issue a formal response to calls for more reciprocal or transparent nationality practices.
