Hugo Vo works in the import business, he is passionate about traveling and often saves money to pursue his passion. Returning from a trip to Norway, Hugo could not hide his excitement when talking about his recent trip to Tromso. The desire to see the aurora borealis has always been his childhood dream and it was not until he was financially stable that Hugo was able to make it come true.
"In addition to choosing the location and weather conditions, your own luck also determines the success or failure of the trip," said Hugo Vo.
Hanging out in snowy Tromso before the trip.
A harbor in Tromso, Norway.
According to Hugo, aurora is an optical phenomenon characterized by the colorful display of light in the night sky. This light is produced by the interaction of charged particles from the wind and the sun with the upper atmosphere of the planet. In particular, aurora often appears in the sky for a very short time, about 1 minute and then disappears, waiting for a new wave. Therefore, Hugo Vo himself feels extremely lucky to have witnessed such a rare natural wonder so many times.
Hugo Vo had planned this trip 3 months ago, but he had to cancel his flight to London for personal reasons. After looking up information, he thought that in the North there were many places to see the aurora such as Norway, Finland, Iceland, Alaska (USA) ... However, the Tromso region in Norway is where the aurora occurrences are high frequency and the ability to be dense (brightness of the band) is very large. Hugo decided to choose to go to Tromso at the end of October and the beginning of November.
"To see the aurora in Tromso, you have to book a tour through a travel agency," Hugo Vo shared.
The climate near the North Pole is always minus 10 degrees.
Tourists can use the Get your guide or Viator app to find a suitable tour or register directly at the tourist center in Tromso. If the trip encounters unfavorable weather, the travel agencies will cancel and reschedule the trip for the next day free of charge. In case the aurora is not seen, tourists can re-join the tour the next day free of charge.
"Each time you experience the aurora borealis is a different feeling. Because you don't know how much or how little you will see in your career. And the feeling of seeing the aurora borealis for the first time is like an explosion because your childhood dream has been realized in the sky. It's like a green light seeping into your soul in the cold of minus 6 degrees Celsius," Hugo Vo said about his feelings when witnessing his childhood dream.
When asked about the best place to see the aurora borealis in Tromso, Hugo said that the tour guides will proactively choose the right place for the guests' time frame. On the first day, he participated in watching the aurora borealis on a boat. However, it was a very rainy and windy day, and the tour guide had a lot of difficulty navigating. Because of the unfavorable weather, the tour guide asked for permission to return and postpone the trip to the next day. But when the boat was approaching the dock, the tour guide shouted loudly, and everyone returned to the deck to see the green light - the aurora borealis.
"At that time, I felt extremely happy because it was the first time I saw the aurora. But the feeling was not really great, because those were very small streaks and disappeared too quickly," Hugo said.
Waiting for the aurora to appear.
On the second day, the weather in Tromso became colder and colder, with snow falling heavily all the way to the aurora viewing spot. At this time, Hugo took the bus for nearly 600 km (round trip) across the Finnish border. When getting off the bus, everyone huddled together as the cold wind hit, the freezing cold assaulted the group of tourists. Just a moment later, Hugo Vo realized his childhood dream for the second time. On the horizon, the green streaks began to dance in the sky.
On the third day, Hugo Vo experienced watching the aurora borealis at a beach in Tromso. The weather was not too severe, there was no wind but the temperature was much colder than the previous two times. He and the group of tourists sat silently waiting in the cold darkness, after a while the first green streak appeared.
Watching the aurora borealis in minus 6 degrees Celsius.
Hugo Vo has fulfilled his childhood dream.
"This time the food and accommodation were good so I got to see more, there were many waves and on average every 30 minutes there would be a new aurora," said Hugo Vo.
According to Hugo Vo, the biggest difficulty in experiencing tourism here is the cost of buying a tour and the cost of living here is too high. Most independent tourists who come here are surprised to see that the cost of everything is too expensive. He believes that tourists should research and plan carefully before coming here. In particular, when participating in watching the aurora, tourists need to prepare warm enough clothes suitable for the temperature of minus 10 degrees. At the same time, visitors should equip themselves with an internet sim package to proactively search for information on it that suits their budget and personal interests.
"Tourists should experience 4 nights or more. Because if you can't watch this night, you can watch another night, because the flight route to this point near the North Pole is not close at all," Hugo said.
