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Story: Truong Anh Ngoc
Photos: Ngo Tran Hai An
On my first visit to Copenhagen years ago, summer was giving way to autumn. The sky was clear blue, the sunlight golden, and the air carried the season’s first hint of chill. The cool breeze only added to my excitement – I was finally in Scandinavia, a region I had long dreamed of seeing.
From the moment I arrived, impressions came quickly. At the airport, Denmark’s famous green beer logo welcomed travelers, and like many visitors, I stopped to take a photo beside a billboard proclaiming, “Denmark, the happiest country in the world.” Stepping out of Copenhagen Central Station – elegant yet understated compared to other European capitals – I was immediately struck by the sight of bicycles lined up in endless rows.
Copenhagen’s serenity is its greatest charm. The city embodies the Danish philosophy of hygge – a sense of warmth, comfort, and joy in life’s simple moments. People move at an easy pace, savoring every season and every quiet detail: each minute, each space, each change as summer drifts into autumn, and autumn into the damp chill of winter.
The city’s beauty lies in its scale – nothing feels too large or imposing. Everything seems balanced, just enough, much like Denmark itself. After spending time here, talking with locals, and feeling the rhythm of life, I realized: greatness isn’t measured by size, but by ideas, inspiration, and how a place makes you feel.
I spent several nights in a quiet neighborhood on the edge of the city, just a short and pleasant bus ride from the center, the bus clean and new. I explored narrow, charming streets and admired the colorful façades of the houses lining Nyhavn Canal, built in 1673 under King Christian V. Once a bustling commercial port, Nyhavn is now one of Copenhagen’s liveliest areas for dining and leisure. Bicycles in every color leaned against walls and windows, a fitting image of a green city where more than half of the residents cycle to work each day.
At the heart of the city, Tivoli Gardens – an amusement park established in 1843 – remains one of Copenhagen’s most cherished landmarks, its tranquil gardens and lakes enchanting visitors for generations. When Walt Disney visited in 1951, he was said to be so captivated by its magic that it inspired him to create Disneyland four years later.
But perhaps the most iconic emblem of this “small yet great” city is The Little Mermaid statue on Langelinie Pier, near the headquarters of Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company. Now over a century old, the statue was inspired by the fairytale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), Denmark’s beloved storyteller. His tale tells of a mermaid who sacrifices her world, her voice, and her life for an unreturned love – rising each dawn and dusk to the water’s surface, longing for a glimpse of her prince before fading into sea foam.
In the capital of one of the world’s happiest – and smallest – countries, even the monuments are modest. Bo, the manager at the hostel where I stayed, told me: “In Denmark, people believe that true worth, whether of a person or a monument, lies not in its size or form, but in what it represents.” He smiled and added, “Ego, like size of a statue, doesn’t make greatness – meaning does.”
That may be why the Danes live simply and consciously. They find happiness in harmony with nature, travel often, stay active, and spend time with family and friends. Their homes are bright and uncluttered, filled with natural light. Their meals are simple, made from fresh, organic ingredients that nourish both body and soul.
Copenhagen itself feels like one great park – green, clean, and serene. Even Assistens Cemetery, where Hans Christian Andersen rests, resembles a garden. On his modest gravestone are inscribed four lines from his poem Oldingen (The Old Man):
The soul that God created for him
Cannot be bought, cannot be lost.
Our life on Earth is but the seed of eternity;
Our body dies, but the soul endures.
Before his death from liver cancer, Andersen told a composer who wished to write music for his funeral: “Most of those walking behind my coffin will be children – so make the music match their small steps.”
He also once said, “Enjoy life. There is plenty of time to live before you die.”
Indeed, there is plenty of time to live before we die, but one must know how to enjoy it. I saw young people savoring the last days of summer, sitting along the canal’s edge with beers in hand, feet dangling over the water, their laughter rippling through the cool evening air. I saw street performers along Stroget – the pedestrian street linking City Hall Square with Kongens Nytorv, singing as passersby paused to join in. Across the harbor, Papiroen (Paper Island) pulsed with music, food, and light, a lively gathering place of culture and cuisine.
I fell in love with the colorful houses, artistic atmosphere, and free-spirited vibe of Christiania, the “hippie town” founded in 1971 that remains one of Copenhagen’s most-visited sites.
And I found my own way of living like the Danes do: sipping a glass of Carlsberg beer on the sidewalk, wrapped in a blanket as the evening turned cold.
Even now, after returning several times, I still remember that first day – the golden light, the quiet chill, the warmth of discovery. Copenhagen may not be vast or grand like many other European capitals, but it is where one truly feels free to live, to breathe, to experience life’s simple, perfect joys. Come to Copenhagen to fall in love and be loved.
