The trip to Mui Ne was actually very impromptu. I decided on it on the second day in Dalat. That’s the beauty of backpacking. Just pack and go with no fixed plans. And so, I booked the bus tickets by SinhTourist to Mui Ne for VND 129 000.
The bus departs at 0730 and to my disappointment, the bus is actually a small mini bus, in which i have almost zero legroom. It sucks that I have to endure this for the next 4.5 hours. The journey is one of the bumpiest journey ever. And even to add on my frustration, the bus driver loves to jam brake at every corner of the hill. Totally one of the worst bus rides ever.
And so, the bus will terminate at the Sinhtourist ticket office in Mui Ne. Mui ne is simply a long stretch of road parallel to the beach. It’s really easy to navigate around. I’ve booked a bed at Zenora Beach Resort for a night. You can find tons of eateries, resorts and mini-marts along the road. The room cost me USD 10 per night/bed.
Along the way, there are many pushy locals trying to advertise their guesthouse and as well as convincing you to take a ride in their motorbike taxi. I nearly quarreled with a local there. Do exercise caution and always give a firm no.
So after checking in, I went out to grab some lunch. Food there can be slightly expensive as Mui Ne mainly caters to tourists staying in resorts. However, if you are adventurous enough to walk around, u can find a decent restaurant to eat in. I booked a half-day tour to the dunes. Well, that’s all you can see in Mui Ne- the dunes! The tour cost VND 200 000.
The jeep picked me up at 1430 and picked a few other tourists along the way. The tour consists of the white dunes, red dunes and the fairy stream. You can actually rent a bike to see the dunes, but that’s if you know the way there. However, it’s best to book a half day tour.
1- Fairy Stream. This is simply a small river with knee-deep water. The surroundings represent a much smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Do take note, there are many locals (especially kids) that would want to “show” you around and later demand a small fee from you. You DO NOT need a guide for this. It’s just simply walking along the stream to the end to see a small waterfall. And yes, you need to remove your footwear for this.
2- White dunes. The journey from the fairy stream to the white dunes will take approximately 30-40 minutes. Upon reaching, you will be greeted by a small white booth, with a few local guys demanding you to pay VND 20 000. All of us (in the jeep, excluding the driver) were shocked about the fact we have to pay a seperate fee while we already paid for the whole tour. Oh well, it’s just VND 20 000, but still it is very unprofessional of them to do it. And best of all, the driver was pretending to not knowing anything. There wasn’t any tickets given to us. So do be prepared for this.
You can rent a buggy to see the dunes, which cost about USD 25 for 30 minutes. But i think, it’s just a ripoff. In my opinion, it’s best to explore the dunes by foot. Do note, that the wind is really strong there and wearing sunglasses is essential. It’s like a mini sand storm and it feels like needles being poked into your skin.
Also, there will be many pushy kids trying to sell you plastic slides which you can use to slide down the dunes. Trust me, IT DOESN’T WORK. So just save the money and trouble and avoid those kids. Besides, those kids have a reputation of stealing your belongings, so just exercise caution. The best way, is to just enjoy yourself and avoid all kids there.
After spending a good hour at the white dunes, we headed to the Red dunes, slightly closer to the vicinity of Mui ne beach.
3- Red Dunes. To be honest, I do not like the red dunes. It’s just a ripoff for me. It’s just a huge chunk of “red” sand with so much litter on it. And there are even more pushy kids there to sell you those slides. There won’t be any buggy rental here. Just take some nice photos of the dunes in the sunset.
So that sums up the Dunes tour. Overall it was ok, besides the scam at the white dunes. There are many tourist agencies along the stretch of road that you can book. You don’t have to book on the day before as most tours start at 2pm. Just simply book it in the morning.
Overall, Mui Ne was good. I enjoyed it’s peaceful setting as it’s not really that touristy. You can easily find eateries around. Prices may be slightly expensive here. A decent bed for backpackers will cost USD 10 per night and a room in a resort may cost USD 40/ night. Just be aware of the pushy locals here and always give a firm NO if you’re not interested in any of their offers. Also do remember to bring your sunscreen here as the weather may be a scorching 35 degrees!!
Stay tuned for my next post as i venture out to Ho Chi Minh City, the last stop of my Vietnam journey!
Redd Wanderlust 