VIETNAM-Cambodia (3): Majestic Mui Ne

VIETNAM-Cambodia (3): Majestic Mui Ne

When I think of Vietnam, a lot of things come to my mind – Miss Saigon, the Vietnam war, conical hats, and maybe even the Mekong river. Vietnam is indeed synonymous with many things, but Mui Ne is not one of them. In fact, prior to this trip, I have never even heard of it, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Mui Ne is a coastal resort town just 5 hours from Saigon. It’s part of the Binh Thuan province (capital city: Phan Thiet) of Southeastern Vietnam, and being a resort town it’s known for its beautiful scenery and beaches. What initially drew us to Mui Ne were the sand dunes. They looked gorgeous enough in pictures, and after a day of temple-hopping and two days worth of bus rides, we wanted nothing more than to bask in the sun, sand, and sea. We had an inkling that like most natural wonders, the beauty of Mui Ne was something that cannot be fully captured in photographs. So even if meant going through another 5-hour bus ride, we were determined to see and experience Mui Ne for ourselves.

A N O T H E R  B U S  R I D E

The bus ride to Mui Ne was at 7:30AM. After our free breakfast at the hotel, we took a taxi to the Sinh Tourist office at De Tham Street. Our tickets were pre-purchased online, but we still had to have our identities verified. By the time we got to sit in our seats it was already 7:32AM. We barely made it.

The beach as viewed from the bus

The scenery was quite different from what we saw going to Cambodia.  The streets were well paved and a lot of buildings and other infrastructure can be seen along the way. We only had one restroom break, where we bought some funny-looking fruit.

The rest of the ride was filled with sights of lush greenery, until we reached Phan Thiet where the landscape changed into one of the sea. Our first look was one of the numerous fishing boats that dotted the waters. Further along, we could clearly see the turquoise waters glistening under the scorching heat of the sun, with its waves crashing against the brown sand. Our bus then started dropping off people and we knew then that we were at Nguyen Din Chieu, which is basically one long strip of resorts and which makes up most of what is known as Mui Ne.

T H E  B E A C H

Dining with a view

At around lunch time, we got off at Mui Ne Resort, which is also operated by Sinh Tourist. We were told to go back for our trip at 2:30, so we decided to explore the beach first. We took a taxi to Lam Tong, a popular seafood restaurant by the sea. Here we dined while our eyes feasted on the sea and our faces got caressed by the breeze.  

Three kinds of surfing

From our vantage point we saw a variety of surfers braving the heat of the sun and the gently crashing waves – from normal surfing to kite surfing to windsurfing. We also walked on the sand a bit, welcoming the early afternoon sun because we knew that by the time we’ll back from our half-day tour it would already be dark.

White and reddish rock formations

F A I R Y  S T R E A M
Featuring: Nam

Upon returning to the resort, we boarded a small jeep with two Canadian tourists – Tam and Martin. Our first stop was the Fairy Stream. The jeep parked along the road and we had to hike, following the tiny creek to its source. The sun was scorching, but the hike was easy enough and our bare feet trudged along, feeling the soft muddy sand on our toes. 

The stream cuts through the sand with a huge imposing rock wall on its left side and lush greenery on its right. The “wall” is basically composed of white and reddish rock formations that coexist with very fine sand. As we walked on the stream we had boulders to our left and a forest to our right, and this unique combination is what makes the Fairy Stream so magical.

Fairy Stream

Nam burying his feet in mud

Majestic view from the top

We didn’t walk to the end of the stream anymore, because according to Nam, the kid who went along with us presenting himself as a “guide,” we shouldn’t go further because “Over there? Infinite nature, same same.” Following his suggestion, we just buried our feet in mud, then climbed the sandy hill to reach the top. The climb was steep and the scorching sun (which meant scorching SAND) didn’t make it easier, but the view from the top was amazing. From there we could see that the stream was indeed “infinite” and “same same,” but we could also see the valley and the forest and even the sea. At the end of the trek our “guide” Nam was able to charmingly demand $6 from our pockets, as a gift for himself and his friend who suddenly appeared halfway during the trek.

The Fishing Village

F I S H I N G  V I L L A G E

At the Fairy Stream we already had a preview of the fish sauce this town is known for. There were several vats of it located near the entrance, and the unmistakable smell of fish sauce greeted our nostrils. After the Fairy Stream our guide took us to the Fishing Village, where we were able to view the Vietnamese people busy with their main source of livelihood in this part of the country. 

As far as our eyes could see, the blue waters were dotted with numerous fishing boats in various colors, and on the shore we could see fishermen with their catch. We also noticed this very cute child who was selling some shells, and the child was so small that he couldn’t have been more than 4 years old. 

W H I T E  S A N D  D U N E S

Driving along the coast

From the Fishing Village we drove a considerable distance to see what we came here for, the White Sand Dunes. As we drove on we noticed that the town was practically deserted, and all we could see was nature. On our far right was the sea, and along the way we saw all the sand our eyes can take. We also passed by cows crossing the street, various rock formations, mountains, and even a cemetery on a cliff overlooking the sea. 

Our first look at the White Sand Dunes

A few more minutes of driving and we got our first view of the white sand dunes. We were still quite far, but we could already see it – a wide stretch of white sand smack right in the middle of nowhere, with the cerulean sky as its backdrop. We could also see that there was this beautiful turquoise lake lined with emerald trees just in front of it, which also seemed to pop out in the middle of nowhere. The view was a feast for the eyes. We finally reached our parking space and walked the rest of the way to the sand dunes. Walking on sand is not all that easy, and it was still quite hot at this time. We were also already tired from the Fairy Stream, but this is what we came here for, so we dragged our legs (which felt like lead) and walked every step of the way.

Feeling so tiny in the midst of the sand dunes

The white sand dunes are HUGE, so we couldn’t really walk in its entirety. From where we were at, the view was already enough to make our jaws drop. I have never seen so much sand in my entire life, and it was so picturesque I felt like I was in the middle of the Sahara and not in some little-known coastal town in Vietnam.

Footprints in the sand

The pictures couldn’t really capture the majestic sand dunes, because for that we would need a 360-degree camera, or perhaps an aerial view. Traveling all that way to see the dunes was indeed worth it. After taking all the pictures we can take, we tried sand-sledding. It was a little challenging because we only rented one plastic sled, which meant whoever slides down has to climb all the way back up again. After about a little more than an hour, we reluctantly bid the sand dunes goodbye. 

R E D  C A N Y O N

Red Canyon

On our way to the Yellow Sand Dunes, we passed by the Red Canyon. We saw it from the top, and to appreciate it fully one has to trek on it, which we no longer had time to do. The steeply rising peaks of the canyons were a beauty to see though, and it was red and muddy all over, much like some parts of the Fairy Stream.

Y E L L O W  S A N D  D U N E S

Just a little before sunset, we finally made it to the Yellow Sand Dunes. These dunes are smaller and less popular than the white ones, but they’re beautiful all the same. The climb up was another challenging one, and our muscles were thoroughly beat up by this time. We still braved the climb though, because we wanted to catch the sunset, and we did.

Waiting for the sun to set

No words can describe the joy of seeing the sun slowly set, casting this reddish light over the dunes. It was simply breathtaking, and we just sat there watching one of the best sunsets we have seen in our lives.

The sun setting over the dunes

It kills 99% of all germs

S H O W E R

It was already dark when we made it back to the hotel. We were also very tired, and we felt quite mucky and dirty. Because of the sand-sledding and the infinite walking, we also had sand EVERYWHERE. When we saw that the hotel had a shower, the prospect of a bath was too hard to resist. We didn’t bring any towels or any toiletries, because we didn’t think we would need them. The only thing we could find was this peach-scented moisturizing hand soap in the restroom. Needless to say, after our thoroughly refreshing baths we  all smelled like peaches. After this crazy shower adventure that looked like a scene straight out of The Amazing Race, we ate dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, partly because of guilt but mostly because we were too tired to go anywhere else.

B E A C H  C O N V E R S A T I O N S

Featuring: Tam and Martin

Back at the hotel with our trusty tour jeep

After dinner we still had some time to kill before our 1AM bus ride, so we walked along the road. First we opted for a foot massage, because our feet were dead tired. Then we stopped by this open restaurant where we ate chocolate ice cream and a banana pancake. We then bumped into our Canadian tour-mates Tam and Martin, and they invited us over to chill in this seaside bar, Pogo. That was where we spent the rest of the evening as we waited for our bus to Saigon and they waited for their bus to Nha Trang.

The banana pancake had us intrigued

Talking to Tam and Martin was quite enjoyable. They’re both 23 and they’ve been traveling literally all over Asia for about 5 months now. Both from Canada, Martin is Canadian but Tam was born in Vietnam from Vietnamese parents, which was a big help during our tour because our driver couldn’t speak English. She did not look Vietnamese though, in fact she looked like a very tall Filipina. We learned that one of the countries they visited was the Philippines, and it was so nice to hear foreigners talk about our own country in a favorable light. In fact, they’ve been to some places in the Philippines that we haven't been able to visit yet (Palawan, Sagada, Boracay) and they’re all praises for it. It was also quite refreshing to mingle with hardcore backpackers, because this provided us with valuable insights into their unconventional lifestyle straight from their mouths. It’s hard to believe they’re only 23, and the differences in culture were very evident, but that’s the best thing about meeting other people – learning from them and in the process learning about yourself.

S L E E P I N G  B U S

Trying to sleep in the sleeping bus

Our night bus finally arrived at 1AM, and this was another experience out of the ordinary. The bus had three rows of bunk beds instead of seats, and I was far too tired to care if it was a bit less comfortable than my usual bed. I slept through the whole trip, with images of Mui Ne dancing in my mind. 

I’m a self-confessed nature lover, and I’ve always maintained that nothing manmade can ever beat nature’s beauty. We took the trip to Mui Ne for the sand dunes, and it was the only thing we expected to see, but we ended up experiencing so much more. The sights were simply breathtaking, and like anything in nature, we had to work hard to see the most majestic views. But it was completely worth it. Mui Ne is every nature-lover’s dream come true, as well as one of Vietnam’s best-kept secrets. It was the most amazing way to welcome the summer.