Mui Ne is a beach town located in the South of Vietnam, only a couple of hours away from the very lively Ho Chi Minh city.
1) Enjoy the Beach
Mui Ne can look a bit touristy at first but it is worth staying there for a day or two as there is plenty of things to see. Its first appeal is the sea, Mui Ne is a seaside resort town, so perfect to lie back and relax. There are many luxurious resorts by the sea. As well as being a beach town Mui Ne is a very famous spot for Kitesurfing.
If you do not practice this sport, like me, just grab yourself a coconut, kick your heels back, relax and look at the kitesurfers do crazy moves 😉
2) Admire the sunrise on the Sand Dunes
Mui Ne is also popular for its sand dunes. It is quite atypical to see sand dunes so close to the sea but in Mui Ne you can find two types of sand dunes, white sand dunes and red sand dunes. The white sand dunes are really big and a bit far, so if you wanna catch the sunrise on time you’ll have to take a quad bike tour. Getting down a sand dune on a quad bike is quite impressive I must say! The red dunes are in another part of the city and are more impressive for their colour.
3) Explore the Fairy Stream
The Fairy Stream is the Grand Canyon of Vietnam, the stream is surrounded by coloured limestone rocks and sand. When you arrive at the site you have to pay the entrance fee (when I went there it was 15,000 Vietnam dong, which was around €0.60), once inside you can take off your shoes and start walking through the stream. There are little cafés around the water. My travel buddies and I decided to stop at a café as there was apparently a snake you could see.
I was expecting to see a snake in a tank, but no! Instead there was a massive boa slithering freely around the café, I have a big fear of snakes so I was not relaxed… The snake was the café owner’s domestic pet, my friend decided to take a picture with the snake on her shoulders, how brave!
At some stage the water becomes very deep, this means it is the end of the visit and you can make your way back.
4) Observe the locals at the Fisherman Village
After you have admired the sunrise over the dunes, when the heat is still supportable, make your way to the Fishing village to observe the fishermen returning from the sea with their catches. The fish and shellfish caught are quite impressive, and seeing the locals preparing the market is very interesting. But you will see a not so nice other aspect which is the amount of garbage on the beach. Many countries still do not have proper waste recycling systems and unfortunately it impacts the fauna and flora.
I recommend staying in Mui Ne for two days, it is sufficient to see everything without rushing. If you want to escape from the heat, head to Da Lat, located in the inland by the mountains.
Julia's Travels 