HANOI/PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Vietnam and Cambodia have announced that both countries are very committed to increasing their ever-growing friendship to a higher level.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn held a video call conversation with Vietnam's acting Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung on Thursday, vowing to consolidate bilateral relations in all areas.
"Both ministers reaffirmed a strong traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbors, expressing their commitment to advancing bilateral ties across all fields and to maintaining close coordination within Asean and other international fora," said a Cambodian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Vietnam's total retail sales of goods and consumer services were estimated at 4.58 quadrillion Vietnamese dong (US$173.4 billion) in the first eight months of this year, up 9.4 percent from the same period last year, Vietnam News Agency cited the National Statistics Office.
Retail sales of goods were estimated at 3.45 quadrillion dong during the period, making up 76.3 percent of the total retail and service revenue, according to the report.
Accommodation and food service revenue was estimated at 552.4 trillion dong, accounting for 12.1 percent of the total and rising 14.7 percent year on year, said the office.
In August alone, retail sales of consumer goods and services reached 588.2 trillion dong, up 10.6 per cent year on year.
The surge was driven by strong consumer spending during celebrations marking the country's 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, the state-owned media reported. (1 dong equals 0.000038 US dollars). - XInhua
