Social Affairs
First Vietnamese to conquer the North Pole
Vietnamese adventurer Hoang Le Giang has become the first person from Southeast Asia to conquer the Arctic by dog sled.
He is also the first person from Southeast Asia to complete the 300-kilometer journey. Along with a multi-national group of 26 others from 13 countries, Giang completed a 300km trip between April 3 and 8.
Giang, 28-years-old, won a spot in the Fjallraven Polar event after an international round of voting that ended in 2016 December. The mission involved steering dog sleds across the Arctic tundra, starting from Signaldalen, Norway, and spending nights camped out in freezing temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius, to reach the finish line in Vakkarajarvi, Sweden.
Giang started mountain climbing in 2011, and has traveled to more than 30 countries, as well as the Himalayas seven times. “Vietnamese people tend not to have confidence in their bodies, but in fact, everybody can climb mountains, even a person who has a heart disease like me. The most important thing is regular physical exercise,” he told
To prepare for his dream journey, Giang exercised for 15 hours per week and took a training trip to Alaska in February to adapt to the cold climate. Shared about the difficulties in adapting to extreme weather in the Northern Artic circle, Giang said, he have to practiced for 5 months before the trip, but he still didn’t adapt to the climate in the Northern Artic Circle. Giang fingers was freezing by cold and dry weather. Giang and his group have taken snow to cook water, drink from 3 to 4 liter range during the day to compensate for the body minerals and salts.
The Fjallraven Polar first took place in 1997 and was exclusively for professional trekkers and mountaineers. Over the past three years, the event, organized by Swedish outdoor clothing and equipment supplier Fjällräven, has started accepting entries from ordinary people. Only two Vietnamese people have made it to the North Pole. They are overseas Vietnamese Bui Duy Tam and Nguyen Van Khai, living in Canada and the U.S., who reached the pole in 2006 and 2008, respectively.
Hoang Le Giang and his group.
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Giang started mountain climbing in 2011, and has traveled to more than 30 countries, as well as the Himalayas seven times. “Vietnamese people tend not to have confidence in their bodies, but in fact, everybody can climb mountains, even a person who has a heart disease like me. The most important thing is regular physical exercise,” he told
To prepare for his dream journey, Giang exercised for 15 hours per week and took a training trip to Alaska in February to adapt to the cold climate. Shared about the difficulties in adapting to extreme weather in the Northern Artic circle, Giang said, he have to practiced for 5 months before the trip, but he still didn’t adapt to the climate in the Northern Artic Circle. Giang fingers was freezing by cold and dry weather. Giang and his group have taken snow to cook water, drink from 3 to 4 liter range during the day to compensate for the body minerals and salts.
Vietnamese adventurer Hoang Le Giang in North Pole.
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