Vietnam, Cambodia to solve border issues by 2000 HANOI - Vietnam and Cambodia aim to solve outstanding border disputes by next year and improve trade ties, official media reported on Wednesday. The Communist Party daily Nhan Dan (People) said the two sides agreed the border deadline during a visit to Vietnam by Cambodian National Assembly president Prince Norodom Ranariddh. Ranariddh arrived last Monday for a week-long trip and met various senior Vietnamese officials on Tuesday. Part of the border problem stems from Cambodia's objection to an agreement signed by Vietnam and Thailand in 1997 to divide up oil and gas blocks in the Gulf of Thailand. Phnom Penh has said it, too, should be consulted on the deal. Vietnam and Cambodia also share a land border which has proven a haven for smugglers of consumer goods and motor bikes, although official trade ties are still small. The two countries have a history of animosity and unease in their relations. Vietnam invaded Cambodia in late 1978 and toppled the Khmer Rouge from power before installing a sympathetic regime. Hanoi withdrew its troops from Cambodia in 1989. Reuters - May 25, 1999.