Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam move ‘One Journey, Three Destinations’ towards reality

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have taken an important step towards making three-country holidays easier to organise, formally establishing a ministerial tourism cooperation mechanism and approving a programme intended to turn the slogan “One Journey, Three Destinations” into bookable cross-border trips.

The first Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was held in Ho Chi Minh City on 26 August, alongside the International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City. It brought together Cambodian Tourism Minister Huot Hak, Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh and Lao Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Darany Phommavongsa. The meeting formally elevated cooperation from discussions between national tourism agencies to ministerial level and adopted a Joint Action Plan for 2026–2028.

The plan covers six broad areas: jointly developed tourism products; easier travel and improved transport connections; common marketing and branding; cooperation between governments and tourism businesses; sustainable and community-based tourism; and closer cooperation with international partners.

For travellers, however, the most interesting development is what lies behind those general commitments. Vietnam's National Authority of Tourism had already instructed international tour operators in July to begin developing actual Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam itineraries rather than waiting for the ministerial meeting. Operators were asked to connect complementary cultural, historical and natural attractions and to consider combinations of road, air and river transport. They were also specifically asked to identify problems involving immigration, customs, border formalities, vehicle movements, passenger processing, transport infrastructure and tourism services.

That exercise could prove significant because many of the obstacles to a three-country holiday are mundane rather than political: different visa systems, restrictions on which border posts accept electronic visas, relatively limited flights on some routes and the need to change buses or vehicles at certain borders.

A nine-day three-country tour is already being developed

At a trilateral tourism meeting in Singapore in July, officials agreed to develop a model package consisting of three days in Vietnam, three days in Cambodia and three days in Laos. The countries also agreed on a joint promotional video, tourism, cultural and sporting events, regular business-matching sessions and familiarisation trips for travel companies. Technical officials were instructed to identify measures capable of being introduced relatively quickly.

The intention is eventually to enable an overseas visitor to buy one coherent itinerary incorporating, for example, Vietnamese cities and heritage sites, Cambodia's Angkor complex and Mekong destinations, and the cultural and natural attractions of southern or northern Laos.

Ho Chi Minh City is particularly keen to position itself as an international gateway for these trips. City authorities told the August meeting they want to help develop cross-border routes and connect tourism businesses across the three countries.

Transport links are also slowly improving. Cambodia Airways launched a direct Phnom Penh-Vientiane service on 29 January 2026, initially operating twice weekly, removing the need to change aircraft in another regional city for that route. Lao Airlines' current network information also includes connections linking Cambodia with Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse, while its published charges list routes including Pakse-Siem Reap, Vientiane-Siem Reap and Luang Prabang-Siem Reap.

Vietnam and Laos separately signed a 2026–2030 cultural and tourism cooperation programme in May that specifically calls for linked destinations and new products based around heritage, culture, ecology and overland tourism.

Visas remain the final major hurdle

There is currently no Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam tourist visa. Foreign visitors must still meet the immigration requirements of each country separately. Vietnam currently has the most flexible of the three electronic systems. Its official eVisa can be issued for up to 90 days and for either single or multiple entry, and eVisa holders can use numerous land checkpoints, including Moc Bai on the Cambodian border and several crossings towards Laos.

Cambodia's standard tourist eVisa is generally for a 30-day stay and single entry. Although the government's current eVisa list includes Bavet, useful for the heavily travelled Ho Chi Minh City-Phnom Penh route, and Tropaeng Kreal on the Lao frontier, electronic-visa acceptance does not extend to every Cambodian land crossing, so an overland traveller needs to check the precise checkpoint before planning a route.

Laos is even less connected. The Lao tourist eVisa permits a 30-day stay and single entry, but the official list of eVisa entry points currently concentrates on airports, Thai border crossings, and the China-Laos transport corridor. It does not list a Cambodia-Laos or Vietnam-Laos land checkpoint among its designated eVisa entry points. For someone attempting a largely overland three-country tour, therefore, visa eligibility and the chosen border crossing still requires time and needs careful checking.

The Vietnamese tourism authority has already explicitly asked the industry to propose improvements covering immigration, customs, border passenger and vehicle controls, transport connections, digital information sharing and common tourism databases. The August ministerial plan now gives governments a mechanism through which some of those problems can be addressed.

The USD45 billion economic benefit

The financial incentive to make it work is substantial for all the countries involved. According to figures presented at the ministerial meeting, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam received 31.3 million international visitors in 2025, including 3.2 million journeys by visitors from within the three-country grouping, generating tourism revenue of about USD45.6bn. In the first six months of 2026 they collectively received about 16.6 million foreign visitors, including 1.6 million intra-regional arrivals.

The three governments are now targeting double-digit annual growth in international arrivals, with an ambition of reaching 35 million visitors during 2026. The second CLV Tourism Ministers’ Meeting is scheduled to take place in Laos in 2027.

For foreign residents of Cambodia, the initiative could eventually make short regional trips particularly attractive. Siem Reap or Phnom Penh could become components of circuits combining southern Laos, Ho Chi Minh City, central Vietnam or other Mekong destinations rather than requiring three separately planned holidays.

For now, however, “One Journey, Three Destinations” should be regarded as an emerging tourism network aspiration rather than as an existing seamless travel zone. But progress is being made. The tour packages, joint promotion and transport links are steadily becoming a reality, even if common border procedures and a common visa are some way off.