Accompanying President To Lam were Do Van Chien, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense; Nguyen Xuan Thang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics; Nguyen Thi Thanh, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly; Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; Le Khanh Hai, Head of the Presidential Office; and Ho Duc Phoc, Minister of Finance, along with other Party and State leaders.
Viettel's representatives welcoming the President included Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and General Director of Viettel Group; Phung Van Cuong, CEO of Viettel Global; Cao Manh Duc, CEO of Metfone; and all Metfone staff in Cambodia.
After listening to reports from Viettel and Metfone, President To Lam assessed: "Metfone's results have significantly contributed to developing cooperative relations with Cambodia, addressing many issues the country currently faces. Cambodia's challenges in taxation, social security, employment, communications, and especially digital transformation, which serve the new phase of economic development, have been addressed. Additionally, Metfone has made substantial contributions to Cambodia's national defense and security."
Viettel invested in Cambodia in 2006 with the Metfone brand. After 15 years of operation, Metfone has brought mobile and Internet coverage to all provinces and made Cambodia one of the countries with the best 4G coverage in the region. With the widest network, Metfone leads the market with 9 million mobile subscribers and 430,000 fixed broadband subscribers.
Metfone has signed cooperation agreements with most Cambodian government ministries on digital transformation solutions, including significant projects with the Ministries of Education and Health.
Metfone's digital education ecosystem, SIS, benefits hundreds of thousands of teachers and students with online learning materials and school management solutions. The PACS digital system for health data management helps patients and hospitals store and access medical records and diagnostic images, avoiding loss or interruption when patients visit different medical facilities.
Metfone's E-money e-wallet has over 3 million subscribers, providing access to financial and payment services, tuition payments, salary disbursements, and money transfers, especially in unbanked areas.
Since its establishment, Metfone has paid a cumulative $1.05 billion in taxes, making it one of the largest taxpayers to the Cambodian Royal Government.
Metfone has created 33,000 high-income jobs and undertaken various social activities, such as providing free Internet to schools, supporting the Cambodian Ministry of Health with equipment and technology,
Metfone has created 33,000 high-income jobs and engaged in social activities such as providing free Internet to schools, supporting the Cambodian Ministry of Health with equipment and technology, sponsoring the Cambodian Red Cross, the “It is not a dream” program, the search for lost Cambodian people, and being the main sponsor of the Cambodian National Football Championship. By the end of 2023, Metfone's total sponsorship for charitable activities and social projects reached $120 million.
At the beginning of 2024, Metfone was awarded the prestigious Royal Order of Monisaraphon, Moha Sereyvath class, by the King of Cambodia. This is a special recognition by the Cambodian Royalty for Metfone’s contributions to digital transformation in Cambodia, enhancing economic cooperation and friendship between the two nations and peoples.
President To Lam commented “If Vietnamese enterprises investing abroad were all like Viettel and followed the Metfone model, there would be no concerns. For Cambodia, if businesses bring such benefits, there is no reason not to encourage them. Metfone’s success has elevated Vietnam's image and status, going beyond economic and business matters. We highly appreciate and commend Viettel and Metfone’s contributions in Cambodia.”
Viettel Group Chairman and CEO Tao Duc Thang affirmed, “For the past 15 years, Viettel's investment in Cambodia has not been merely business. This journey reflects the close relationship between the two nations, from politics and culture to national security. Viettel is always aware of sustainable development in the countries we invest in.”
Metfone’s CEO Cao Manh Duc stated at the meeting, "In the coming time, Metfone aims to deploy essential digital infrastructures such as 5G and cloud computing to accelerate national digital transformation in Cambodia and continue addressing major social issues such as smart cities, telemedicine, and smart education."
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