Participants make wreaths at the 2025 Swedish Midsummer Festival in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NGOC DONG
Previously, when studying for a master's degree in chemistry in the city of Umeå from 2008 to 2010, this festival left her with an unforgettable impression of the warm Swedish people and a Sweden full of life in the middle of summer.
At the Swedish Midsummer Festival 2025 organized by the Swedish Alumni Network in Vietnam (SANV) at the end of May in Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City - Ms. Thuan and her two daughters participated in making wreaths, setting up the traditional maypole, dancing to folk music and enjoying strawberry cakes and waffles in true Swedish style.
Swedish Midsummer Festival in Ho Chi Minh City brings many fun and exciting activities. Video : NGOC DONG
Midsummer - a festival of joy and togetherness
According to Ms. Nguyen Minh Chau, President of SANV, Midsummer is not only an opportunity for the international student community and Swedish people in Vietnam to recreate the festival or memories of Sweden, but also an activity to connect Vietnamese and Swedish people.
In the bustling atmosphere of Swedish folk music, flowers and laughter, the festival spreads beautiful values of friendship, sharing, a simple lifestyle, close to nature and full of love.
Midsummer 2025 marks the sixth time the festival has been held in Vietnam, with the support of the Swedish Embassy.
Ms. Ha Trang Van, 32 years old, who studied communications in Sweden from 2016 to 2018, also participated with homemade cakes.
“I lived in Sweden for two years and was lucky enough to experience the summer atmosphere and Midsummer festival there, so attending the re-enactment of the festival in Vietnam made me very emotional and nostalgic. There were maypoles, wreaths, people dancing together, simple rituals but very typical and full of Swedish spirit,” she shared.
Strawberry cake, a traditional cake that is indispensable on this occasion, is served at the Swedish Midsummer festival in Ho Chi Minh City 2025 - Photo: SANV
Midsummer is one of the most important holidays in Sweden to celebrate the longest day of the year, usually held on a day between June 19 and 25.
On this day, people gather, spend time together, sing, eat and dance all day long.
"Midsummer usually starts at 10am, when people prepare a traditional lunch of salted herring, potatoes, cold cuts, eggs, strawberry cake, schnapps, and sing together," said Mr. Christofer Fredriksson, cultural officer at the Swedish Embassy in Hanoi .
"Swedes are often seen as a bit 'introverted', but on this special Midsummer day, they let loose and have fun," he said.
Participants dance to Swedish folk songs around a maypole during the Swedish Midsummer Festival 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: SANV
Ms. Nguyen Minh Chau said that although it is difficult to fully recreate the festival in Vietnam, the important thing is to bring the spirit of the festival - connection, joy and meaningful moments together.
She hopes this activity will also help Vietnamese people understand more about Sweden - a friendly, sincere and humane country.
In previous holiday seasons in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City organized by SANV, some people who participated in Midsummer for the first time were immediately "fascinated" by the joyful atmosphere and unique culture of Sweden, and then had the intention of studying abroad in Sweden, Ms. Chau said.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vong-hoa-banh-dau-va-niem-vui-midsummer-20250603150356594.htm
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