Former Norwegian minister Per Sandberg moves to Vietnam to open wellness retreat

Former Norwegian fisheries minister Per Sandberg has left politics behind to start a new life in Vietnam, where he now runs a wellness retreat, reports Dagbladet. The 66-year-old, once deputy leader of the Progress Party, dismissed claims he resigned in disgrace after his secret 2018 trip to Iran with then-partner Bahareh Letnes, stating he simply “had enough” of the political turmoil.

Sandberg told Dagbladet that both Prime Minister Erna Solberg and party leader Siv Jensen had urged him to stay on as minister, but he chose to step down. “It’s nonsense to say I had to leave in shame,” he said. “The reality was that I couldn’t take any more. All the noise after Iran became too much.”

The former politician, known for his combative style, has since transformed his health after participating in the 2025 season of Norwegian reality show 16 Weeks of Hell. Doctors initially assessed his “biological age” as 78 due to poor lifestyle habits, but he lost 16 kg (35 lbs) during the program’s strict diet and fitness regime.

Now settled in the coastal city of Da Nang, Sandberg lives with his new partner, Nguyen Thi Huong—nicknamed “Lucky”—and has launched a wellness business. “I’m in better shape than ever,” he said, describing his current life as a stark contrast to his political past.

Sandberg’s career included two decades in parliament, service as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon, and years in Norway’s process industry before his 2015–2018 tenure as fisheries minister. His relationship with Letnes, an Iranian-Norwegian writer, sparked controversy after their undisclosed trip to Iran, leading to his resignation. The couple later co-authored a book, Foreign Powers Have Moved In, and ran a bar in Halden before separating in 2023.