Cika wannan jumla: Matsalar tattalin arziki mai tsanani ta zama sabon ƙalubalen soja. A ƙarshen shekarun 1970, Kambodiya a ƙarƙashin mulkin Khmer Rouge ya fara tsangwama da mamaye ƙauyukan Vietnamese a kan iyakar gama gari. Don kawar da barazanar, PAVN
ya mamaye Kambodiya a shekarar 1978 kuma ya mamaye babban birninta na Phnom Penh, ya kori gwamnatin Khmer Rouge mai ci. A matsayin martani, a matsayin wani mataki na tallafawa gwamnatin Khmer Rouge mai goyon bayan Beijing, China ta kara matsa lamba kan Vietnam, kuma ta tura sojoji zuwa Arewacin Vietnam a shekarar 1979 don "hukunta" Vietnam. Dangantaka tsakanin kasashen biyu sun kasance suna ta tabarbarewa na wani lokaci. Rashin jituwa na yanki a kan iyaka da kuma a cikin Tekun Kudancin China wanda ya kasance a lokacin yakin Vietnam ya sake farfadowa a karshen yakin, kuma yakin basasa da Hanoi ya shirya a kan 'yan kabilar Hoa na kasar Sin ya haifar da zanga-zangar karfi daga Beijing. Kasar Sin ba ta jin dadin kawancen Vietnam da Tarayyar Soviet. A lokacin da ya dade yana mamaye Cambodia a 1979-89, kebewar Vietnam ta kasa da kasa ta fadada dangantaka da Amurka. Amurka, ban da ambaton ƙarancin haɗin gwiwar Vietnam a cikin lissafin Amurkawa waɗanda suka ɓace a cikin aiki (MIAs) a matsayin cikas ga alaƙar al'ada, ta hana alaƙar al'ada muddin sojojin Vietnam sun mamaye Kambodiya. Washington kuma ta ci gaba da aiwatar da haramcin cinikayya da aka sanya wa Hanoi a ƙarshen yaƙin a 1975.