[Photo] Swedish Midsummer Day Marked in Hanoi

The event, taking place on June 10 in Hanoi, was hosted by Sweden Alumni Network Vietnam (SANV) with the support of the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam.

This is the 5 continuous years that Swedish Midsummer Day was marked in Vietnam. Last year, this event was held took in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Midsummer is a particularly important event of the year when everyone comes together and gathers around the tree, singing and dancing, to enjoy delicious food, nature, sunshine and to smile at the wonderful moments of life. It is a symbol of joy, camaraderie and a place to appreciate equal values," said Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam Ann Måwe at the event.

Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam Ann Måwe spoke at the event (Photo: SANV).

Celebrating the traditional festival of Sweden, this event is considered to be a combination of Vietnamese and Swedish culture with music, food, and nature.

Under the sun, people danced around the "Maypole" (Photo: SANV).

The guests can try playing Swedish folk games and enjoy signature dished including pickled herring, baked potatoes, BBQ and strawberry cake. Seasonal fresh food and beverage are also served.

Making flower crown "garlands" - one of the special tradition of Swedish Midsummer festival (Photo: SANV).

The event started with recreating Midsummer traditions like making flower crown "garlands" and dancing around the "Maypole." These group actitivies are held in the outdoor for the guests enjoy a bond between nature and people.

Both Vietnamese and foreign guests participated with great enthusiasm (Photo: SANV).

After the first part, the second part of the event is muscial performances. Members of SANV showed off their talents with musical instruments.

Music performances at the event (Photo: SANV).

According to Chau Nguyen, President of the Sweden Alumni Network Vietnam (SANV), this is a community of Vietnamese who studied and worked in Sweden. Established in 2017, SANV currently has more than 500 members across the nation, celebrating Vietnamese-Swedish values through activities to promote culture, education, career opportunities and sustainable development.

"SANV is also a home where members are like brothers and sisters, together we create good memories," said Chau.

The Maypole made of flowers, with Swedish flag was made by the member of SANV (Photo: SANV).

Events like Midsummer day can gather a big network of former students returning from Sweden.(Photo: Nhung Nguyen)

Member of the Organizing Committee Pham Minh Hieu (An alumni of Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden)) is glad that events like Midsummer day can gather a big network of former students returning from Sweden.

Pham Minh Hieu, a member of the Organizing Committee (Photo courtesy by Pham Minh Hieu).

"What unites the members of SANV comes from the love of Sweden, a country with beautiful nature, unique culture, and sustainable development. Therefore, many activities of SAVN are to promote sustainable development goals. In addition to cultural exchange activities, we also have activities to promote less plastic waste, "ecological footprint" reduction, old book and clothes exchange," said Hieu.

Hieu also said that this year, there is a bigger number of participants, proving the growing network of Sweden alumni across the nation.

(Photo: Nhung Nguyen)

Swedish couple Frida and Johan Lodin brought their two children to the event so they can enjoy Swedish traditional festival for the first time in Vietnam. Moved to Hanoi since late 2022, the family of four has participated in some Northern European cultural events like the European Village in May.

The Lodin family at the event (Photo: Nhung Nguyen).

According to Johan, Midsummer in Swedish is the time for family and friends to enjoy group activities like picnic and dancing, and usually could last for the whole day. Their first Midsummer in Hanoi captured this spirit well.

"Midsummer in Hanoi has the same thing [as in Midsummer in Sweden] like musicians, music and the "Maypole". The big difference is that we bring our own picnic and gather around in the middle of the day, then will go to the summer house with a group of friends in the evening [in Sweden]," said Johan.

There are about 120 participants this year (Photo: Nhung Nguyen).

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