On June 19, the German Handelsblatt website published an article titled "Europe's free trade partner Vietnam rolls out the red carpet for Putin", written by Nicole Bastian and Marek Miller. The article is excerpted as follows: Russian President Putin's "Indo-Pacific " trip has caused uneasiness in the West: his visit to North Korea and signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have already caused concerns. What particularly annoyed the United States was that Vietnam immediately rolled out the red carpet for Putin. Vietnam and Russia have maintained a "comprehensive strategic partnership" for more than 10 years and have had good ties in history.

Alexander Gerlach, an East Asian expert at New York University, said Vietnam considers itself neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Its failure to condemn Russia is interpreted by Western countries as a sign of Hanoi's close ties with the Kremlin.

Russia wants further diplomatic support to build a world order that is not based on US hegemony. For example, Hanoi should support Russia diplomatically in its war against Ukraine, especially at the United Nations. Russia has been Vietnam's most important supplier of arms. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia reduced its arms exports last year. One of the biggest problems facing Russia is that it also needs weapons for its war against Ukraine. He said that the talks may therefore involve what proportion of the weapons that Russia has promised to deliver will be withheld and whether it will pay a penalty for this. The two countries also face an important issue: how to handle the current payments when Russia is subject to sanctions. For some time, the United States has been increasing pressure on third countries to prevent banks from doing business with Russian companies in violation of sanctions. Like other countries in Southeast and Central Asia, Vietnam does not want to take sides in major diplomatic disputes. The Vietnamese government calls this stance "bamboo diplomacy" - because bamboo can be bent in different directions without breaking.

Both the United States and the European Union are vying for Vietnam as a partner in their "Indo-Pacific " strategy. US President Biden visited Vietnam. Gerlach believes that Vietnam has "sought to move closer to the United States on security issues" in recent years. German Chancellor Scholz also visited Vietnam in November 2022. Experts believe that this has made Vietnam more confident in diplomacy. Four years ago, Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the European Union. Vietnam has also joined other important regional free trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which, coupled with still low labor costs, have made Vietnam a favored production base for foreign companies.