Cambodia has strong export potential, but key conditions for sending goods to the United States remain less competitive than those in Vietnam. That is the view of Casey Barnett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, who says high electricity costs and limited investor confidence continue to hold the country back.
Barnett pointed to recent Vietnamese customs data that shows Cambodia is capable of performing on the same level as its regional peers. He said the problem lies not in Cambodia’s capacity to produce, but in structural barriers that discourage manufacturers from setting up operations. Electricity prices in Cambodia are roughly double those in Vietnam and even higher than in China. Barnett added that companies in Vietnam enjoy lower energy costs, including for solar power, whereas Cambodia still requires businesses to pay elevated rates for this source of energy. He said removing these obstacles would significantly strengthen Cambodia’s export competitiveness.
Barnett noted that if Cambodia improves these conditions, it could expand agricultural trade with the United States. That includes direct exports of mangoes, cashew nuts, and pepper. Although American markets already import Cambodian agrarian products, nearly all shipments are routed through Vietnam. Barnett described this as a major loss of value for Cambodia.
Cambodia’s General Department of Customs and Excise reported in late August 2025 that bilateral trade between Cambodia and Vietnam reached more than 5 billion dollars from January to August. Cambodian exports accounted for close to 2.74 billion dollars, while imports from Vietnam were valued at about 2.84 billion dollars.
The Ministry of Commerce offered a higher annual figure. Secretary of State Somheng Bora said bilateral trade reached nearly 8 billion dollars in 2024. Cambodia exported around 3.61 billion dollars to Vietnam that year and imported more than 4.16 billion dollars.
Vietnamese customs data shows that in 2024, Vietnam imported nearly 4.8 billion dollars of Cambodian agricultural products. Cashew nuts represented more than 1.47 billion dollars of that total.
Speaking in May 2024, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Cambodia would no longer rely on Vietnam as a transit route for its exports once the Funan Techo Canal project is completed.
