Mui Ne Beaches Vietnam   Mui Ne beach, South Vietnam Vietnam Travel Guide | Vietnam Main Attractions | Vietnam Beaches And finally there's Mui Ne, a large fishing town with amiable locals and a 10km beach dotted with many resort hotels that is gradually turning into one of Vietnam's best beach destinations. It's provided with a good selection of restaurants, bars and cafes - many of them Russian-owned - and is popular with Russian tourists. Strong, regular sea breezes make Mui Ne a favourite for kite and windsurfers and championship competitions take place here. The tourist season is December to May. The average temperature is 27°C, and the climate is hot and dry for most of the year.

Some stretches of beach are less than pristine and the breeze can be in-your-face.

Kitesurfing and learning the art of kite surfing are popular activities in Mui Ne and there are plenty of schools ready to give efficient lessons for a fistful of dollars. Solid, reliable winds are normal from November to March from mid-morning until evening and since the sea is free of rocks in this area and the sand shelves gradually it's an excellent board surfing spot. However, at peak times there are likely to be a couple of hundred kite surfers falling, flipping, leaping and planing along this stretch. Beginners stay near the shore!

 

From Mui Ne village the beach extends for over 10 kms to the right. The village folk and children are fun and friendly.

 

 

Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne's main street. The main strip is on this road between #2 and #98.

There are a handful of budget hotels along the left hand, inland side of this road but while the prices may be inviting, access to the beach can be a problem if you have to go through a beach-side resort hotel to reach it. Hotel guards are firm about their property not being used as a seaside route so check beach access carefully before booking in. The beach, however, is NOT private, though hotel equipment including palapas (sun shades) is.

Furthermore, the sands of Mui Ne have a nasty habit of shifting up and down the 10 klick stretch and changing their position year-by-year, so it's also worth researching the amount of sand in front of your potential hotel. Recent hotel photos? Webcam? (no way, dream on!) Pester the receptionist!

 

...plenty of smart, uncrowded, low-rise, reasonably-priced...

 

...beach resort hotels such as this, the Mui Ne Sailing Club.

 

 

Getting to Mui Ne

• Bus. The most popular way to reach Mui Ne is by bus from Ho Chi Minh City. The service is called 'Open Tour' and their air-conditioned buses travel between HCMC and Nha Trang, stopping conveniently in the heart of Mui Ne's tourist strip.
Buses tend to leave HCMC at 8 a.m. and arrive at Mui Ne five hours later. On the return journey, buses leave Mui Ne around 2PM arrive in HCMC at 7PM, though there are also night buses.

• Train. There is also an early train out of HCMC that takes 5 hours, but it's less convenient as it leaves from Saigon Railway Station just outside HCMC and it stops in Phan Thiet, 5kms from Mui Ne centre. However, the journey is likely to be more relaxing as road travel in Vietnam these days tends to involve a fair amount of sudden swerving, bouncing, shouting and outraged honking.

 

...as well as the bizarre Red Stream rocks ceremonially enjoyed by newly marrieds and ...

 

...substantial sand dunes ridden by dune surfers.

Mosquitoes and sand flies can be troublesome in Mui Ne. Bring insect repellent and/or long-sleeved shirts and pants for the evening. More on dealing with mosquitoes

 

 

So that's it as the sun sets over the South China Sea and the fishermen head for home. Goodnight Vietnam!

 

 

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