When I started traveling north from Ho Chi Minh City, the first stop on most of the "open bus" tickets are in Mui Ne. It's about a 4-5 hour bus ride north of Ho Chi Minh, located along the east coast. A lot of backpackers and other travelers stop here because of the famous sand dunes - which is just one of the sights to take in. Though obviously I agree that the sand dunes are a "must-see" in Mui Ne, there are a few other things worth grabbing your attention.
DAY ONE
Catch the bus (or take your motorbike, if you're brave) and head from Ho Chi Minh. There is a 7am "sleeper bus" available, so you can get a nap in during your journey and still arrive in town by noon.
Honestly, I didn't have a great plan for Mui Ne - all I had seen was the iconic pictures of the sand dunes and heard about wind surfing. So, my first stop in town was to head to my hostel to drop off my bag. Based on online reviews, I chose Mui Ne Backpacker Village (read more about it below).
Rather than getting right to it, I decided to take some time to relax, grab some pool time, and search around for some delicious local seafood. The pool and vibe at the Backpacker Village are wonderful, always having a cheerful group of people around the pool, with bar available just around the corner - if you're so inclined.
That night, I took a walk along the main drag to find a restaurant that would fit my needs - seafood. The "main drag" in Mui Ne is essentially a road that goes along the coast, with one row of shops or restaurants separating it from the ocean, so for seafood, this had to be the prime place.
After peering in quite a few restaurants (and checking the fish selection out front, plus the amount of locals dining there), I opted to try Boke Bok Bok. It's a small, open air restaurant with very reasonable prices. I ordered the grilled scallops plate (pictured) which were wonderfully finished with butter and garlic. (Plus, they were only $1.50 USD!)
Only my way back to the hotel, I (kind of wished) I had tried one of the bigger restaurants called Mr. Krab as it was absolutely packed. And usually, that kind of thing is for a reason! #foodenvy #always
DAY TWO
I woke up so, so, so early the next day at 4 am, for a 4:15am departure to catch sunrise over the sand dunes. I booked the tour for $5 USD through my hostel, which seems to be the going rate.
First, you'll drive the furthest away to watch the sunrise over the White Sand Dunes. We barely made it there as the sun was rising (because the second pick-up people did not wake up, so we had to wait for them, rude!) so I basically ran from the jeep out to the dunes to catch the last of the sunrise. Unfortunately, we didn't have a very colorful one - so I hope you're luckier than I was. Anyways, that is the longest stop on the tour - you'll have an option to rent a 4-wheeler/ATV for the whole or part of the time. It was about 50/50 whether people did or didn't - I didn't because of fear of getting stuck and just enjoyed watching others as they tried and failed.
The next tour stop is a short drive away at the Red Sand Dunes. These are a bit smaller than the white dunes and more crowded with locals trying to rent you sleds or you food. The locals trying to rent sleds practically line up before the jeep is at a complete stop. For being so close to each other, it's amazing to see the contrast in the sand colors being so drastic a change! Which one is your favorite?
Third stop is an overlook of Fisherman's Village (or hiking down to it, depending on your tour). I was good with just taking in the overlook - plus, I loved watching them operate the typical style of circular boat, which we don't have in the states. It's beautiful how they maneuver them with ease through the breaking waves, I couldn't just imagine myself out there trying and spinning in circles.
And the last stop (my favorite) is Fairy Stream. I hadn't read about it before going, but it was a beauty! You actually hike up the small creek/stream in knee deep water, before you start to see the "fairy houses" along the walls of the banks. I imagine they're probably made by termites or something like that, but they kind of resemble stalactites and stalagmites in the way they seem to hang from the walls. After you pass the "fairy houses", you round a corner to see where the walls open up to show the mixing of the red and white sands (see selfie below). The sand is vibrant and colorful and absolutely astonishing.
After the tour and a nap, I headed to town to find kite surfing and a lunch spot. To my extreme disappointment, because I was there during the low season, literally every kite surfing sales booth that I was passed was closed. How is that for bad luck? I took it as a sign that it was time to move on to the next city then and booked my open bus ticket to Dalat for the following morning.
I've been in Southeast Asia for about 3 weeks now and honestly getting a bit burned out on rice. So shamefully, I will admit that I tried the very popular burger spot - Burgeria. Though I've had better at home (I mean, it's Kansas, beef country), it absolutely fulfilled that craving for a good ole burger and fries. Plus, pricing was extremely reasonable with my whole meal and drink under $5 USD.
Most of the beach by where I was walking was actually interlaced with cinder blocks, allowing locals to pull their boats and such onto, but making it terrible to layout on. I did find out that there was a real beach about 10 km down the road, but I decided to spend the afternoon lounging at the pool again.
I met a few girls by the pool and decided to go to dinner with them - they picked Joe's Restaurant. It's a restaurant/bar/live music lounge definitely catered towards international travelers with a menu that ranges from Vietnamese to Italian to Mexican. There's something for everyone. Plus, they have a great happy hour drink special! The night we were there, the music was played by a British Musician whom was now living in Vietnam - he was surprisingly good and played a wide range of musical styles.
Accommodations
I typically book through HostelWorld or HostelBookers, so that I have a chance to look at ratings and other traveler reviews, as pricing was pretty identical between hostels, while reviews .... aren't.
Mui Ne Backpacker Village was highly rated and has overall very positive comments on both websites. (Plus it had a pool). So I thought, why not give it a try? And honestly, I have mixed feelings about my stay.
- The Good: Very sociable hostel, Great pool and loungers, Secure lockers in Dorm Rooms for Valuables, Great Air Conditioning, Clean, Helpful and Friendly Staff, Strong Wifi, Very Affordable, Variety of Room Styles
- The Bad: Pretty Solidly a Party Hostel (Loud Music played late every night), Bathrooms weren't always stocked with toilet paper (but, the staff was always willing to give you a roll if you went and asked), Poor Water Pressure in the Showers.
IF I COULD DO IT AGAIN...
Wind surfing is on the absolute must list. Unfortunately, I was traveling during the low season - so literally every sign that had wind surfing above it was closed. I had originally planned to spend three days in Mui Ne to be able to go wind surfing one of the days, but when I couldn't find it available, I gave in and headed further north.
