Vietnam man dreams of conquering North Pole

Giang has been a popular name in Vietnam’s social media community since registering for the Fjällräven Polar voting contest, a competition that will award the winner with a 300-kilometer sled trip through the North Pole next April.

Fjällräven Polar was established in 1997 by Swedish sled drivers Åke Nordin and Kenth Fjellborg after organizing their first sled trip through the Scandinavian Arctic.

Hoang Le Giang on a trip to the Gokyo lakes in Nepal's Sagarmatha National Park, October 2015

With Giang’s resume as an experienced trekker with seven climbs in the Himalayas under his belt, having traveled to 30 different countries, one may find it surprising to learn that the virile-looking man had suffered from asthma and obesity as a kid.

It may come as a bigger surprise that Giang only began mountain-climbing five years ago.

“I was always a rebel at school,” said the Bon Jovi fan, “I would tell my literature teacher ‘no’ when she asked whether I liked a certain book. It was my way of letting my feelings as a reader be known.”

Giang said his favorite song from the American rock band Bon Jovi is It’s My Life, a song he described as reflective of his once powerful ego.

“I have become less of a rebel and more of a thinker since I took up mountain climbing,” Giang said, “When you climb, you have enough time by yourself to reflect on your life.”

One of Giang’s most crucial moments in his travels took place last April while climbing in the Nepali village of Chomrong when the earthquake hit.

“Everything happened so quickly, and in that precise moment, suddenly I felt more worried for my family than for myself,” Giang recalled, “What if my family members were forced to endure loss just because of my personal satisfaction?”

Since then Giang has altered his outlook on the dangers of adventurous trips and taken preparatory safety measures more seriously.

As of December 9, Giang’s entry for Fjällräven Polar is leading the vote count with nearly 35,000 votes, nearly 12,000 votes ahead of Mongolian Erka Erdenee.

With less than a week until the contest ends, Giang’s prospect of winning his dream trip is bigger than ever.

Giang said him winning the voting contest would be a powerful message for other youths and that “when your enthusiasm is big enough, you can achieve anything in life no matter how average you are”.

“After all, I’m just as average as anybody,” Giang said humbly.