This special achievement started with Nam Son winning a top prize in the international competition “Nuclear Energy for Peace” organised by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation. This year marks the 6th season of the competition, attracting nearly 67,000 students, including about 4,000 from 20 countries.
After rigorous selection rounds (including online essay writing and presentations), the Organising Committee selected 66 outstanding contestants, comprising 46 Russian students and 20 international students representing 20 countries, to participate in the Arctic expedition on the nuclear-powered icebreaker “50 Years of Victory”.
In preparing for the journey, the first item Nam Son chose to bring was the national red flag with golden star. He devoted his entire summer holiday to collecting images and documents about Viet Nam’s land and people, preparing to introduce them to international friends. With confidence and pride, each step he took on the icy surface embodied the Vietnamese spirit.
The journey to conquer the North Pole lasted five days. The icebreaker crossed the Barents Sea and Kara Sea, following stretches of thin ice and open waters, before heading towards the northernmost point of the Earth.
Unlike Antarctica, the Arctic has no landmass but only thick ice sheets floating on the sea, with an average depth of about 4,000 metres. It is the only place on the planet where all meridians converge and every direction points south. In August, when Nam Son and his companions arrived, the North Pole still had its last rays of sunlight before entering the months-long polar night.
In the 0°C cold, the red flag with golden star fluttered amidst the boundless ice. Nam Son emotionally shared: “I carried with me the national spirit, so that the Vietnamese flag could be present at the northernmost point of the world.”
The journey of Nam Son was not only an unforgettable personal experience, but also vivid proof of the intelligence, courage, and aspirations of Vietnamese youth. From the thousand-year-old city of Ha Noi to the distant North Pole, the red flag with golden star has always flown high, affirming the position and image of Viet Nam in the international community.
The national flag flying over the Arctic ice has become a symbol of the youth’s aspiration to rise, to contribute, while spreading the message of a Viet Nam that is rich in tradition, innovative, and ready to integrate with friends across the five continents.
