Mui Ne is one of the best examples of how beautiful South East Asia can be. A small coastal town located in South Vietnam, it hides its own small piece of desert almost like from the Tales of 1001 Arabian Nights. But it is not just the beautiful sand dunes, that makes this lovely town worth a visit. Check out my 7 great things to do and see in Mui Ne in Vietnam.
Mui Ne is a lovely coastal town a and must stop for everyone traveling in South Vietnam. Whether you just want to stop and relax on the beach or see something unique, it has exactly what you are looking for. Most of the visitors will be for sure attracted bt the magical Red and White Sand Dunes, two unlikely pieces of desert hiding its own Tales of 1001 Arabian Nights charm by the South China Sea. But for all the sand, be sure not to overlook other hidden gems as the Fairy Stream or the Phan Thiet Fishing Village. Read my 7 things to do and see in Mui Ne and enjoy your stay in this magical town.
Getting a Vietnamese visa
When planning your trip to Vietnam, you need to remember one thing. Unlike most other countries in South East Asia, there are no visas on arrival. So be sure the get your visa in advance, otherwise, you will not be let to enter the country! We have seen other tourists being left desperate at the borders and I am so happy I did not get into such situation myself. Luckily the visa itself can be very easily ordered online. The price varies on how fast you need it (you can get even an urgent one in 1-4 hours). Just check out this website.
➯ Katie’s tip: You can get a 10% discount for your Vietnam visa if you use my discount code KATIES10.
How to get to Mui Ne
Mui Ne is a small coastal town located about 220 km East from Ho Chi Minh City and 220km South from Nha Trang. Unfortunately, there is no train and in the case you are not driving yourself, you are left just two options. Either taking a bus or hiring a private transfer. Taking a bus, to be honest, is not a bad idea at all, given the fact the Vietnamese have special comfy sleeper buses allowing for quite an enjoyable cheap travel. You can either look for a ticket in the city where you are currently staying or simply buy one online via 12Go Asia. I would recommend you to do the second, as it is much faster and comfortable. If you are willing to pay extra money for higher comfort, you can easily get yourself a private transfer.
➯ Check out: Buses and trains to Mui Ne from Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang or Da Nang.
➯ Katie’s tip: Get a private transfer to Mui Ne with Klook and save up to 5% of the price. Moreover, register via this link and save another 3.2 USD.
7 things to do and see in Mui Ne
For some reason, Mui Ne is a very popular place among Russians and you shouldn’t be surprised to find tables in the Russian language everywhere you go. If you are thus from Russia yourself, you will find yourself at home immediately. For the others, don’t worry. As the city attracts more and more tourists, the local infrastructure, as well as knowledge of English, are above the standard level in Vietnam.
Explore the White Sand Dunes
The White Sand Dunes are the bigger and the more elegant of the two pieces of a desert to be found in Mui Ne. Located about 27 km from the town itself, you either have to take a tour, rent a motorbike or hop on a taxi to get there. The dunes with their clean white sand are really beautiful. Just as they are quite big, they are full of quad bikes and jeeps carrying around tourists, turning the place almost to a dessert high way.
➯ Read More: 10 great things to do and see in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
If you are considering renting a bike to visit them, I can assure you the ride around the South Vietnamese coast is a great experience of itself. But beware of the police checkpoints along the way. They are especially targeting on foreigners and they are never hesitant to find an excuse to charge you a fine. We had to give out all the money we had on us to basically bribe the police to let us go through. We were pretty worried to have enough gas to get back to our hotel, but they didn’t care. Luckily we made, but it was really close.
Explore the Red Sand Dunes
The Red Sand Dunes are the smaller of the two and they are located just at the outskirts of the town. If you wouldn’t mind walking, you can reach them even on foot. They are about 3x times smaller and the red sand lacks a bit of the clean white elegance, however, the red color still makes it quite a special and unique experience. The biggest problem though is that they are quite littered and you will often find yourself picking up empty Coca-Cola bottles not to spoil your shot.
➯ Read more: Cambodia’s impressive floating village Kompong Phluk
Stroll through the Fairy Stream
The Fairy Stream is a charming shallow stream leading through red and white sandy rocks. As such, it has a red colored water with a soft sandy bottom and most importantly, it is surrounded by beautiful cliffs. Take off your shoes and head against the flow to enjoy this unusual and truly fairytalish attraction or climb up the cliffs to see it from the above.
Explore the Phan Thiet Fishing Village
The Phan Thiet Fishing Village is not what you would expect based on its name. Buildings are of no importance, as the real tourist attraction in here is the dozens and dozens of small wooden boats flowing along the sea coast.
➯ Read more: Taking the Mekong Delta tour from the Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
Take a ride in a traditional Vietnamese fisherman boat
Vietnamese traditional fisherman boats are quite special due to their perfectly round shape. Honestly, I have never really understood how can they even move forward. On the other hand, trying to ride one is a unique experience. You can easily bump into a “fisherman” waiting for tourists to offer them a ride in the Phan Thiet village. The price, of course, depends on your negotiation skills, but expect to pay around 4 USD.
Relax by the sea
If I haven’t mentioned it yet, Mui Ne is actually a resort destination. You can find several beaches, but they are usually pretty small and not particularly clean. However, the selection of hotels with their own access to the sea is pretty rich and you will find a plenty of opportunities to get yourself wet even when you are not staying at one.
➯ Check out: Prices of hotels in Mui Ne
Go kitesurfing
Mui Ne lies on the coast of the South China Sea and as we have experienced, it can get extremely windy. Such conditions, however, make it a great place for kitesurfing. Whether you are a kitesurfer yourself or not, it is a really cool sport to watch.
Shop on a local street market
As anywhere else in South East Asia, Mui Ne is has a great street marketplace, where you can shop fresh fruits, vegetables, and other local products. This one particularly, we found very well supplied with coconuts.
Let me hear from you
Mui Ne is a great place where to enjoy the sea and beaches, but as well the unique environment caused by the sandy ground. Where else in Asia you could enjoy beautiful sand dunes, as well as the charm of the Fairy Stream. Would you make a stop in Mui Ne on your trip to Vietnam? Let me know in the comments section below.
Love,
Katie
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