Goods from Vietnam replacing Thai products in Cambodia
Pornchai Limploypitat, a Thai trader who supplies staples to the Cambodian province, said his customers in Koh Kong were now selling consumer goods from Vietnam because of the shortage of Thai goods including snacks, instant noodles and construction materials.
Vietnamese products were not as popular as Thai imports, but goods from Thailand had disappeared from Koh Kong markets, Mr Pornchai said. He now works as chief receptionist at Koh Koh Resort.
Thailand banned the export of goods to Cambodia when the dispute over four contested areas of the border flared afresh after a brief exchange of gunfire between soldiers at Chong Bok in Nam Yuen district in Ubon Ratchathani province in May.
Thailand has also shortened opening hours at international crossings to 8am to 4pm, instead of 6am to 10pm, since June 24.
Thai exports to Koh Kong are mostly shipped through the checkpoint at Hat Lek in Khlong Yai district of Trat. Two-way trade there in fiscal 2024 was almost 30 million baht, with 23 million baht in favour of Thailand, according to Khlong Yai Customs House.
Top export items from Thailand were soft drinks, milk, supplements and sugar, while seafood led imports from Cambodia.
Another supplier, Somchai Kimsoi, deputy chief of tambon Hat Lek, said he had recieved no orders for goods from Cambodian traders since the cross-border ban was enforced.
The border spat also dampened tourism, with few visitors to the Thai border market.
"Hat Lek market once had more than 100 shops, with Cambodians from Koh Kong selling goods to tourists from Thailand. Now, 90% of them are closed," he said. (continues below)
Their concerns were in line with a report in the Khmer Times saying Vietnamese companies were taking the opportunity to expand their market share in Cambodia.
"In the past two weeks, Vietnamese brands have substantially increased their market presence, from biscuits to milk and chocolates to noodles," the Cambodian media outlet said on Monday, quoting an unnamed manager of a leading retail outlet.
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