Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Rashin wahalar tattalin arziki ya zama sabon kalubalen 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 ta mamaye Kambodiya a shekara ta 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. Rikice-rikice na yanki a kan iyaka da kuma a cikin Tekun Kudancin China wanda ya kasance a cikin lokacin yakin Vietnam ya sake farfadowa a ƙarshen yakin, kuma yakin da Hanoi ya yi a bayan yakin da aka yi wa 'yan kabilar Hoa na kasar Sin ya haifar da zanga-zangar adawa 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.