VI
EN
Text and photos:Thinh Tran
From the capital Oslo, a modern train took us north to experience the white nights, a fascinating natural phenomenon present in the kingdom famous for its many bays and lakes, and the undulating lemon-yellow meadows nestled against charming mountain slopes. Pointing to the unique, large "Â" signs along the road, I asked Hansen about their meaning. My Norwegian travel companion explained that "Â" in Norwegian means river or water. It's also one of the world's strangest words.
We arrived in Lofoten – an archipelago in northern Norway that attracts tourists from all over the world during the summer. The most captivating feature of this archipelago is the charming little villages nestled along roadsides covered in wildflowers, with bustling signs advertising accommodation and fishing services for trout and cod. If desired, visitors can rent yachts to Svalbard – a small, well-preserved island dedicated to the breeding and conservation of polar bears, a species on the world's red list of endangered species.
But what everyone eagerly anticipates most is the incredibly famous "Aurora Borealis," and Lofoten is the best place in Norway to enjoy this phenomenon. Hansen explains that, according to ancient Scandinavian legend, when the sky reflects shimmering streaks of light, it is also the moment when the Valkyries, the goddesses of war, don their armor, blinding the dark forces from hell. To distinguish between good and evil, the sun god also remains still, refusing to sleep, to help the Valkyries differentiate between humans and demons. With boundless belief, the Scandinavians thought that the appearance of the aurora borealis, signaling the arrival of the white nights, also meant that death would be eradicated. Today, although scientists have explained this phenomenon, I still yearn to hear more legends and myths of the Norse gods with a sense of excited curiosity.
Fish are incredibly abundant in Lofoten. Indeed, after just a few hours of rowing and casting nets, Hansen and his host surprised us by bringing in three enormous fish, each weighing around 6-7 kg. That evening, we enjoyed a delicious soup and grilled fish for our reunion dinner. Although dinner was at 7:30, the sky remained calm, as if it were around 3 pm; the sunlight still cast a soft, rosy glow, gently warming everyone's skin, making up for the nine long, cold winter months.
Although dinner was at 7:30, the sky remained calm, as if it were around 3:00 PM; the sunlight still cast a rosy glow, gently caressing and warming everyone's skin, making up for the nine long, cold winter months.
Hansen explained that in winter, Norway's weather is quite cold, so when summer arrives, the government supports citizens in traveling extensively. As a Norwegian civil servant, you get a winter break and vacation time of up to a month. In the summer, they enjoy domestic travel with adventurous activities such as mountain climbing, exploring islands, learning gardening, or driving their own cars for camping trips from Norway to neighboring countries.
Chatting idly with Hansen, I noticed the clock had struck midnight, yet the sky was still bright as day! The wine intoxicated me as I enjoyed a warm dinner with the friendly, open-minded, and incredibly welcoming white locals. Across the guesthouse fence, a group of tourists were dancing together to a melodious tune, making the whole scene seem to stand still. With glasses of wine in hand, we approached them, introduced ourselves, and asked to learn to dance; together, we decided to fully enjoy the white night.
At 4 a.m., drowsiness suddenly overtook me, so I went back to my room to rest. Inviting me inside, the landlord carefully pulled the thick, heavy curtains to cover all the windows so I wouldn't be blinded by the light. Perhaps the wine had made me feel a little tipsy, because after only a few minutes, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep even though the sun was still high in the sky.
After enjoying our time in Lofoten, our journey continued to Troms and Nordland, two destinations not far from Lofoten. During our time there, we had the exciting experience of hunting wild ducks on the lake and picking mushrooms in the forest. What I liked most was being able to feast your eyes on beautiful birds singing and deer calmly watching people approach in the forest. If you enjoy admiring the mountain scenery on a summer day when the sun never sets, you'll be advised to stay in designated forest areas for tourists, a chance to slow down and immerse yourself in nature. There are also training classes on wilderness skills and survival in challenging environments led by skilled Norwegian guides.
During my brief stay in Nordland, the tranquil atmosphere made me forget about the internet and the constant upheavals of current events reported daily in the mass media. The sight of the tame pigeons in Nordland captivated me every morning. How lovely it was to hear them cooing by the window and boldly landing in my hand to beg for the dry bread crumbs that every house had in a bag on their porch to feed the birds.
The journey of experiencing the breathtaking aurora borealis and the white nights helped me return to a peace I thought I would never again enjoy. The profound silence of the majestic high mountains, the dwelling place of gods like Thor, Odin, Loki, and Frey… all left a wonderful impression on me of the beautiful Scandinavian peninsula.
Additional information:
"White nights" are a fascinating natural phenomenon that occurs in summer in several European countries, including Russia, allowing people to admire the sunset throughout the night. In Norway, "white nights" occur from the end of June until mid-July. The best place to see "white nights" in Norway is the Lofoten Islands.
+ Transportation: Currently, there are no direct flights from Vietnam to Norway, but you can easily book flights with airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, AirFrance, Turkish Airlines, etc., to the kingdom via transit points in Germany, Turkey, France, etc., before landing at Alesund or Oslo airport. Several companies in Vietnam now offer tours of the White Nights in Northern Europe, such as TST and Saigontourist; you can check their websites for more details.
The currency of Norway is the Krone (abbreviated as NOK). However, Norway has now signed a treaty to use the Euro and USD as common currencies. Therefore, you do not need to exchange Norwegian Krone for spending.
+ Services for foreign tourists visiting Norway to enjoy the white nights are quite diverse, including: fishing, duck hunting, mountain climbing and camping, visiting lakes and enjoying water sports, exploring polar bear, seal, and whale conservation areas… However, Asian tourists may still find it difficult to get used to swimming in the sea because the waters in the far north of Norway remain quite cold in the summer.
