Mui Ne Travel Guide

Introduction

Situated on the South Vietnamese coast within several hours of Saigon, Mui Ne has become an increasingly popular alternative to Nha Trang, a loud party hub situated further to the north. With giant sand dunes and a lively fishing culture, it is a getaway from this country’s busier centres that you and your travel friends will appreciate.

Cultural Attractions

For generations, fishers in this small town on Vietnam’s south coast has depended on the bounty of the sea to make their living. Despite the rise of the tourism industry in recent years, Mui Ne Harbor remains an active place each and every morning.

Here, you’ll find fishers hauling in the morning’s catch, busy at work mending their nets, and sporting the conical hats which have come to symbolize Vietnam. There are tons of photo opportunities for avid photographers, and if you have a seafood habit to feed, you can buy it straight off the dock for an excellent price.

Mui Ne is not known as a cultural hotspot, but if you are in the mood to check out local Buddhist halls of worship, be sure stop by Linh Long Tu Temple for a brief tour. Within, you’ll find friendly monks who are often willing to grant you a tour of the place.

Highlights within include a Sleeping Buddha, well-kept gardens, and a number of pagodas. With a peaceful atmosphere, it is the perfect place to get in a spot of meditation before starting your day.

Get a feel for the everyday lives that the average citizen of this town leads by spending time observing them go about their business at the Mui Ne Market. Here, you’ll find the fish brought in from the harbour, along with locally grown fruits and vegetables, and everyday goods average people need to run their households.

If you don’t want to be crowded out, be sure to show up during the early morning hours, as the passageways can get pretty clogged as the day wears on. Before leaving, stop by a coffee stall, as they serve the real thing brewed from beans harvested in-country – none of that Nescafe nonsense!

Southeast Asia is known for having a variety of excellent cuisines – if you have already learned how to cook Thai and Malaysian food, take advantage of the many cooking classes in Mui Ne to learn how to make amazing Vietnamese cuisine at home.

You’ll start your day off with a market tour, where you’ll see how chefs in the Mui Ne area select the ingredients they use to make dishes. After this, you’ll take your haul back to the teaching kitchen, where you’ll compose a number of standard Vietnamese dishes.

After completing your lesson and eating your creations, you’ll be sent home with a recipe book that will allow you to duplicate the meals you just made upon returning home.

Other Attractions

If there’s one thing Mui Ne is known for, it is the giant sand hills which can be found along its coast north of town. Start off by visiting the White Sand Dunes first. Despite the area’s tropical climate, the area takes on a desert-like appearance due to the size and volume of sand you’ll find at this site.

There are many ways you can enjoy your time here – early birds will want to wake up before dawn to catch the sunrise from the summit of the tallest dunes, while adrenaline junkies will jump at the chance to rip up and down these hills in an all-terrain vehicle.

Be sure to check out the Red Sand Dunes next. Located close to town and equally as impressive as the White Sand Dunes, coming here instead is a great option if you are on a tight schedule (though, you should try to see both if possible). In addition to watching the sun do its thing and riding ATVs, you also have the option of sand boarding at this attraction, so give it a try if it is on your bucket list.

There are many excellent places to swim, sunbathe, and socialize in Mui Ne and along the coast north and south of town. However, we feel Bai Da Ong Dia Beach is the best option for those with a limited amount of time in the area. Long in length and consisting of white sand, you’ll find plenty of room to hang out with your travel party. However, it is important to remember there is next to no natural shade at this beach, so be sure to bring a parasol with you.

With winds that are consistent off the coast of Mui Ne, kite surfing has made this beach resort town a draw for adrenaline athletes everywhere. Along every beach in the area, you’ll find the drag chutes of these surfers floating in the sky like kites (hence the name). Want to join them? There are numerous providers that will be more than happy to teach you how to raise your kite into the sky for the first time.