Visitors look at a photo at the exhibition.

The exhibition, titled “Memories of Sweden-Vietnam”, was organised by the Sweden Alumni Network in Vietnam, with support from the Sweden Institute, the Vietnam-Sweden Friendship Association and the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam. It is a part of the activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries last year.

The exhibited photos were selected from more than 170 by 70 participants from Vietnam, Sweden, the US and Germany, on three topics of people, culture and nature of Sweden and Vietnam. The photos included those by Vietnamese people who lived, worked and studied in Sweden and vice versa.

Speaking at the exhibition, Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam, Ann Mawe, said she was happy to see many stunning photos from Sweden, depicting Swedish nature, culture and to some extent values.

“It is interesting to see Sweden through your eyes and to find that it is the same things as Swedes cherish and are proud of,” she said, adding that many photos represented unforgettable memories about life, work or studying experiences in Sweden as well as some examples of memories of Swedes who had lived and worked in Vietnam.

Highlighting co-operation between the two countries since Sweden, as the first Western country to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam back in 1969, Mawe said the exhibition was a glimpse of the past and the present in the long-lasting friendship.

“These bonds – the people-to-people relations – really constitute a core of our bilateral relations and bring deeper values than any formal agreement and conference,” she said.

Pham Nguyen Ha looks at his photo at the exhibition.

Pham Nguyen Ha, an alumnus who studied a doctorate at Kazolinska Institutet, had his photo, “My thesis”, selected for the exhibition. The photo showed the moment one of his fellow students had his thesis 'nailed' in public for everyone to see – a ritual for all students in Sweden one week before their thesis defence.

“This is a very interesting and unforgettable moment for all students. It also represents transparency in Sweden in all aspects,” Ha said.

The photo 'My thesis'.

Ambassador Mawe said she personally was touched by the photo of Bai Bang Paper Mill in Vietnam’s northern midland province of Phu Tho, taken years ago by a Swedish expert, saying the project represented the starting point for understanding the evolution of Swedish development assistance.

“It was meant to support and rebuild northern Vietnam after the war and ended up becoming the largest development project ever financed by Sweden and SIDA,” she said.

A photo about Vietnam by a Swedish photographer. A photo featuring the Vietnamese national flag in Sweden.

“From the pictures taken by Eva Lindskorg, a Swedish sociologist in charge of improving the living conditions for workers at the Bai Bang Paper Mill, we can understand how the mill played an important role in the rebuilding of northern Vietnam and why the paper industry was a good choice,” Mawe said. — VNS

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