If you’re inspired to go on a beach holiday, you’ll be disappointed to realise that reenacting the iconic wind in the hair Baywatch moments at the exact filming spots in the U.S. (Deerfield Beach, Florida, and Tybee Island, Georgia) will be ridiculously expensive.
Thankfully, Asia is home to many stunning coasts that you can experience at a fraction of the price (and flying time)!
Introducing… Mui Ne, Vietnam!
Located about 215km east of Saigon, Mui Ne is an up-and-coming coastal town.
The beach stretches across 15km, with resort houses and restaurants dotting Vietnam’s eastern coast. While it’s not yet as commercialised as Bali, it has already made a great transformation – the village fishermen still exist, but are far outnumbered by the tourists.
There are two things Mui Ne is famous for: The beach and the sand dunes.
The Beach
Let’s talk about the beach first.
It’s everything like what you see on TV – a beautiful sky that hangs over the brilliant turquoise waters, and pristine, fine sand that slips between your toes with every step you take.
There’s just one thing to note: Enjoying the beach may not be as straightforward as you think. The many upmarket resorts that line the most prime areas of the beach often considered the beachfront as “theirs”.
Which means that the spots in front of their establishments are exclusive to resort’s guests only. If you plan to stay in a budget hotel instead, you will have to be careful about where you place your beach mat.
But don’t let that deter you from visiting though! As long as your group is not rowdy or causing a nuisance, most guards will close one eye.
Mui Ne is great for water sports too, and the most popular one of all is kitesurfing. There are many stores renting out these sporting equipment, so be sure to include this activity in your itinerary if you’re an aquatic sports enthusiast!
Now that we’ve introduced the beach, let’s talk about the real highlight of Mui Ne:
The Sand Dunes!
Many are familiar with Mui Ne beaches, but have not heard of its extraordinary desert plains!
There are two types of sand dunes here – white and red. The white desert is exactly the kind you’re picturing right now. It’s an impressively huge land of white sand, nothing else. The red desert is the same, except it features slopes of red-brown sand instead. Both are geological wonders of Vietnam and they’re definitely worth a visit!
Once you’ve gotten over the sheer vastness of the deserts, it’s time for some fun!
Because they’re barren and massive, many tourists are under the impression that there is nothing much to do. Well, the popular activities here include all-terrain vehicle (ATV) rides and snowboarding. Sorry, no camels here!
Just nearby is the Fairy Stream, another natural wonder of Mui Ne. We recommend walking down the muddy stream and enjoying the lush greenery and colourful limestone formations that line the waters, before reaching a magnificent waterfall at the end of the route.
Getting There
We recommend travelling to Mui Ne by bus.
There are several operators (you can Google to find which ones offer the best timings for your trip) and the average cost is around S$20 (US$15) for a one-way trip (from Ho Chi Minh). Most buses will pick you up at Pham Ngu Lao Street, and drop you off directly at your hotel. You may wish to rent a car or take a taxi instead but that will set you back about SGD$150.
The local train is another option, but the nearest station is Phan Thiet, from which you will need to take another 30-minute car ride to Mui Ne. However, do note that the bus journey will be slightly longer (about 5.5 hours compared to 4.5 hours).
