When it comes to lunch breaks, the laissez-faire French like to take two hours out of their workday to savour their food with their colleagues while the workaholic Americans prefer having takeaways in front of their computers. Meanwhile, some Vietnamese prefer to have a quick lunch before taking a short nap in the office. In Sweden more and more workers are forgoing their leisure lunches in favor of “Lunch Beat”.

“Lunch Beat” started in the fall of 2010 when 14 friends decided to dance their lunch break away in their office garage. They then named this gathering “Lunch Beat”.

Lunch Beat then attracted more and more people and it became so popular that “lunch disco” was officially recognized as a new word by the Swedish Language Council in 2011.

What started out as a private underground party among friends has now spread to over 90 cities all around the world.

Following a series of events celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Sweden, “Lunch Beat” left a very strong impression after being successfully organised and held at the Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi in February.

With this success, "Lunch Beat" moved the event to Ho Chi Minh City on March 6 along with the participation of Electrolux, a global leader in home appliances, with over 50 million products sold in over 150 countries.

The basic idea behind “Lunch Beat” is that workers take an hour out in the middle of the day to let loose and unwind in the company of fellow dance-enthusiasts. It’s intended almost to be a way of forgetting about your job, so you can feel energized and inspired when you get back to your desk.

“I usually spend most of my time sitting in front of the computer looking at numbers so I always find that it’s a real challenge to keep myself awake after lunch. Coffee used to be my best friend but now I think I found a new friend, “Lunch Beat”. I really hope this will become a more regular event here in Ho Chi Minh City,” said Ms. Thuy, an accountant who works in District 1. Unlike the atmosphere of a bar or a discotheque, “Lunch Beat” is actually a healthy activity with some finger food and soft drinks.

Participants don’t necessarily need to dress up or dance well.They can improvise to the music and their own liking. This gets participants more involved in dancing and chatting with each other to relieve stress from work.

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