Mui Ne Travel

Best time to visit

Thanks to its unique micro-climate, Mui Ne is one of the driest places in South East Asia. Even during its rainy season, it’s dry compared to cities nearby. For the best weather and temperatures, visit the city between August and April. If you’re interested in kitesurfing, plan a trip between September and February. At this time the wind is strongest, and you’ll get some nice waves ideal for kitesurfing and other water sports. If you don’t like too much heat, avoid the time from April to August as it’s very hot in Mui Ne during this time.

Check the below table for the general idea of Mui Ne weather throughout the year.

Mui Ne’s current weather and 7-day forecast

MŨI NÉ WEATHER

Whether you want to chill out by the beach, explore some unique natural sights or indulge in wonderfully fresh seafood, Mui Ne has got you covered. Curious what all there is to see and do in Mui Ne? Keep reading!

Climb Mui Ne’s sand dunes

The sand dunes are Mui Ne’s most famous sight and probably one of the main reasons many visitors come here. After all, they are the only dunes of their kind in Vietnam! Note that there are two different spots to visit: the white sand dunes and the red sand dunes.

Both areas are like miniature deserts and offer a completely different image of the otherwise lush, green Vietnam. Take some time to explore both spots, try to climb to the top of the dunes or hire a quad bike to drive around.

The red sand dunes are just a few minutes’ drive from the city and can even be reached by bicycle if you don’t want to get a scooter. Come early in the morning to catch the sunrise or in the afternoon to see the sunset. That way you avoid the midday heat and get a beautiful view of the sun emerging from or dipping into the sea. To avoid the crowds, the mornings are best as not many people will be able to drag themselves out of bed around five in the morning.

The white sand dunes are bit further out. To get there you need a motorbike or a taxi. Don’t let that stop you from going though! Since the white dunes cover a larger area than the red dunes, it’ll be easier to find a spot for yourself and you can also get some great photos without too many people in them. Again, coming in the early morning or late afternoon is the best as you’ll get good lighting and be able to enjoy the view of the sun rising or setting right on the water.

Walk to the Fairy Stream

Just about ten minutes from the main resort area, you’ll find the Fairy Stream directly off of Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne’s main road. As you head east, keep an eye out for a small bridge and a café next to it. This is where you’ll leave your bike (for a parking fee of about 10,000 to 20,000 VND) and start walking along the stream.

You’ll quickly get into some impressive limestone formations which make it feel like you’re in a much tinier version of the Grand Canyon. At the end, you’ll see a small waterfall. If you’re here during the rainy season, there might not be much to see, but the walk through the ‘canyon’ is still well worth it.

Pro tip: there’s no need to bring good shoes since you’ll be walking through ankle-deep water most of the way.

Explore the Po Sha Inu Cham towers

A little way west of Mui Ne, the Po Sha Inu or Poshainu Cham Towers are waiting. They are some of the oldest remaining Cham towers in Vietnam, built around the eighth century and dedicated to Lord Shiva. It can be a bit tricky to find them as they’re off the main road, but the spot is well worth a visit. Google Maps will help you find your way and who knows, maybe you’ll come across some other interesting things on the way!

Visit Mui Ne fishing village and the morning market

What would a stay in a seaside destination be without a stop by the local fish market? Mui Ne, like most other towns on the water, has a lively fishing village where fishermen go out early in the morning and sell their catch at the market upon their return.

If you come here at the crack of dawn, you’ll find yourself in the middle of a flurry of activity. Men returning from work with the catch of the day, women setting up their stalls and people coming to buy the freshest seafood for their homes and restaurants. Take a stroll around to witness the haggling, chit-chat and general business of this market. Maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about local seafood varieties and discover a new favorite!

Chill out by the beach

Mui Ne itself stretches along ten kilometers of soft sandy beach, so you’d think there’s plenty of space for you to find a spot you’ll enjoy. However, most hotels with direct beach access will allow only their guests to use it. Coco Beach Resort and Bamboo Village offer day passes for around 200,000 VND which includes the use of their beach, sun loungers, towels and bathrooms/changing rooms. Drinks are reasonably priced too.

Mui Ne’s public beach is also worth a try, but especially on the weekends it’s pretty crowded and a lack of facilities like bathrooms and wastebaskets takes a toll on this area.

To have a fine stretch of coastline to yourself, head a bit northeast of Mui Ne, past the white sand dunes. There you will find long stretches of white sand beaches that are hardly touched. If you want some basic facilities, go all the way to the Langson Mui Ne Campground. They provide sunchairs and changing rooms to their guests but don’t mind outsiders snagging a spot, as long as you have a drink or two. And who could say ‘no’ to a cool beer or cocktail?

Go kitesurfing

During Mui Ne’s windy season from September to February, adventure seekers flock to this part of Vietnam for all kinds of wind and water sports. Kitesurfing, in particular, is super popular in Mui Ne and you’ll easily find a place to take classes and rent equipment. Not sure which one to choose? Ask your hostel staff for advice and check reviews on TripAdvisor and Facebook. That way you’ll easily find a trustworthy shop and be out on the water in no time.

Eating out in Mui Ne

Along Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne’s main road, you’ll find plenty of eateries to choose from. As tourism has developed quickly in recent years, the variety and quality of food have been catching up with other resort destinations.
While in Mui Ne, you’ll probably want to try some fresh seafood. A good place to start is BiBo Restaurant at 195 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. They offer everything from razor clams and king prawns to sea snails and various types of fish.

Alternatively, you can ask your local staff at the hostel where they like to go for seafood. Their suggestions will probably lead you to some simple hole-in-the-wall places which don’t look like much but often have the best and freshest food. A good rule of thumb is to pick places to eat by watching for big crowds of Vietnamese eating outside. It’s a fail-safe indicator of how authentic and good it is.

The Piri Piri House and El Café are two restaurants with some nice western choices. If you’re looking for food that reminds you of home, stop by one of these two places at 246Nguyen Dinh Chieu, a small food court with a diverse food offering. El Café is fully vegetarian, so even if you’re not a seafood lover, you’ll find something tasty here.

Best Budget Mui Ne Accommodation

Find the best Mui Ne hostels for their location, budget and atmosphere. These are the most highly rated spots for Mui Ne backpackers.

iHome Backpacker Resort

Look no further than iHome Backpacker Paradise if you want a truly luxe holiday on a budget. As one of the best hostels in Mui Ne, you’ll be spoiled. With an outdoor pool, a bar, a shared garden, and even a private beach area, this is easily one of the best places for backpackers to stay in Vietnam! Both private and dorm rooms are available.

Mui Ne Hills Backpackers

Mui Ne Hills Backpackers is the newest hostel in Mui Ne. It opened in 2017 and delivers a resort style at a backpackers price. There are 2 outdoor swimming pools, tons of places to lounge, ping pong, billards and nightly entertainments. DJs work the bar area and the property is a short 5-minute walk to a white sand beach. All of the facilities are brand new.

LongSon Mui Ne

LongSon Mui Ne is a campground beach resort located right on the beach between the famous white and red sand dunes. Dorm rooms are available on-site with all of the facilities you could need such as laundry and free Wi-Fi. Tours can be booked on the property as well as surf board hire and bus tickets. At the on-site restaurant $1 drink and snack deals are available.

Best Mid-Range Mui Ne Accommodation

Find the perfect mid-range hotel or Mui Ne resort for the most amazing time in this must-see spot.

Mui Ne Hills Budget Hotel

You can’t go wrong with this budget-friendly hotel that is one of the best selling hotels on Booking.com. For a bargain price breakfast is included and the hotel is known for having a fabulous pool area. A fitness centre and bar are also on-site. Plus it’s only a 4-minute walk to the beach. Previous guests have raved about the wonderful staff.

Four Oceans Resort

If you’re a beach lover than this is the place for you. Four Oceans Resort is a Mui Ne budget hotel that is only a 1-minute walk from the beach and offers rooms with balconies and a sea or garden view. On-site you can rent bicycles, stroll down to the private beach area or kick your feet up at the outdoor pool. There is also a bar and breakfast is included.

Ananda Resort

Stay at this resort for the beach, pool and on-site bar. This beachfront property is popular for its pool area, location and wonderful staff. Close by to the resort you can try your hand at windsurfing or golf. You’ll fall in love with the tropical bungalows as soon as you drop your bags.

Best Luxury Mui Ne Accommodation

Find the best of the best Mui Ne luxury hotels.

Bao Quynh Bungalow

Unwind at Bao Quynh Bungalow, a Mui Ne beach resort, as you relax by the pool with ocean views or walk to the beach that is only 2 minutes away. You can start your morning with a buffet breakfast and end it at the on-site bar. This property also a private beach area and an airport shuttle is available.

Romana Resort & Spa

From this epic spot you’ll get stunning views overlooking Mui Ne beach as the resort sits on its own private mountain. Each villa has its own pool, rooms offer balconies and on both you can lounge in the sun. Two public pools are also available as well as a spa and a beauty salon. For those who wish to keep up their exercies routine a fitness centre, tennis and volleyball courts are also on-site. The property is beachfront.

Anantara Mui Ne Resort

Anantara Mui Ne is the luxury resort to stay at with a 5-star rating and amazing amenities. Guests love the buffet breakfast and the rooms that come with a private pool and sun loungers. An outdoor pool, spa and bar are also on-site. For those of you who want to play golf a course is near-by. This property is considered the best resort in Mui Ne.

Travelers are not only amazed by Mui Ne’s outstanding natural beauty, but they are quickly addicted to the local food. Local food here mainly consists of seafood but it has a special taste due to its unique cooking process and the taste of the coastal area. Keep reading to find out about the most delicious and unique food in Mui Ne.

Seven Dishes from Iguana (Dong)

Mui Ne is famous for huge sand dunes which are the inhabited by the iguana, called Dong in Vietnamese. It is a reptile, quite similar to the lizard, but larger and longer. Because this reptile lives in the wild environment, its meat is really tasty.
Local people cook iguana in seven ways: grilled, steamed, fried, roasted, raw, served in porridge, iguana pie, and served alongside vegetables. Therefore, the local people call this the seven dishes from iguana and these dishes are all delicious. My favorite is grilled iguana dipped in salt and pepper. Choose one, maybe choose all seven and let me know what you think!

Recommendation:

Vietnam Home Restaurant

Address: 125A Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Ham Tien, Mui Ne

Opening hours: 9 AM – 10 PM

Tha Hotpot (Lau Tha)

The main ingredients of Tha hot pot are deep herring (ca mai), boiled pork side (thit ba chi), scrambled eggs, fried rice paper (banh da), vermicelli (bun), star fruit, and vegetables.

The highlight of Tha hotpot is that all the ingredients are served in red banana flower peels. You will choose which ingredients you like, add it to your bowl, pour hot pot soup into the bowl, and enjoy the food. If you are familiar with hotpot, you will notice that instead of putting the ingredients into the pot simmering over the flame, you actually place them in your individual bowl. This is truly unique and it makes for a beautiful spread!

Recommendation:

Seahorse Bistro Restaurant

Address: 16 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Ham Tien, Mui Ne

Opening hours: 11:30 AM – 10 PM

Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Dumpling (Banh Quai Vac)

Banh quai vac is called Vietnamese pork and shrimp dumpling in English. The crust is made of wheat flour and the filling is made of shrimp and pork. Sprinkle spring onions and fried pork fat (top mo) on the top, dip it into the sweet and sour sauce, and enjoy.

Banh quai vac is sold in many places, from street vendors to luxury restaurants. However, eating banh quai vac from the street vendors will be an unforgettable and authentic experience.

Recommendation:

Banh Can Xiu

Address: 1 HA Kim Dong street, Phan Thiet city

Opening Hours: 10 AM – 10 PM

Price Range: 15,000 – 33,000 VND

Deep-fried Snakehead Fish Rolled with Rice Paper (Ca Loc Chien Xu Cuon Banh Trang)

Snakehead fish is a common fish cooked in many Vietnamese dishes, and deep fried snakehead fish rolled with rice paper is a famous dish in Mui Ne. This is also a unique dish because the fish is not fried with flour and the cook leaves the fish scales on! The whole fish is dunked in oil and fried, so both the tail and scales become rough and create a crunchy texture.

Take a small piece of deep-fried snakehead fish, roll it into rice paper with vermicelli, raw vegetables, young banana, star fruit, dip the roll into spicy peanut sauce, and enjoy the delicious treat.  

Recommendation:

Ca Loc Chien Xu AH Restaurant

Address: 17 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Ham Tien, Mui Ne

Opening Hours: 9 AM – 9 PM

Price Range: 50,000 – 150,000 VND

Salad with Deep Herring (Goi Ca Mai)

Big and fresh deep herrings (ca mai) are carefully chosen to make the good taste of this food. The deep herring’s scales, head, tail, and bone are removed before they are plunged into ice. After that, a variety of ingredients such as lemon juice, carrots, onion, basil, peppers, garlic, and peanuts are mixed together with the herring. Now it’s ready to eat! The blend of all these delicious ingredients with a special peanut sauce makes the most unique taste. Crispy rice paper, young banana, star fruit, and other vegetables are the best combination for this food.

Recommendation:

There are many restaurants along the sea bank of Ca Ty and Mui Ne, or in the Health Department area near Phan Thiet train station.

Banh Can

Banh can is made of grilled rice flour. There is a special mold made of earthenware, with multiple round holes for baking banh can. The filling contains shrimp, squid, and spring onion. Different cities have different fillings but shrimp and squid are the common food in this coastal city of Mui Ne. Banh can is usually served with sliced green mango, cucumber, and onion.

Recommendation:

Banh Can Phan Thiet

Address: 168 Thu Khoa Huan street, Phan Thiet city

Opening hours: 4 PM – 10 PM

Price Range: 10,000 – 30,000 VND

Grilled Squid Teeth (Rang Muc Nuong)

Do squid have teeth? I like to imagine so, but the answer is no. Actually, the name of this food is the local name of the round and small tip of the squid. This part is often forgotten when cooking this sea animal. However, squid teeth have become the specialty street food of Mui Ne. Over time, local people created a variety of ways to cook squid teeth such as in pie, grilled satay, stew, and more.

The most famous dish is simple grilled squid teeth. Squid teeth are skewered and barbecued on the street side until they turn yellow, smell delicious, and are then ready to eat. Dip it into chili sauce and you won’t believe the flavor.

Recommendation:

Rang Muc Loan

Address: 202 Võ Thị Sáu,  Tp. Phan Thiết

Opening Hours: 5 PM – 10 PM

Price Range: 12,000 – 50,000 VND

Grilled Pork Spring Roll (Nem Cha Nuong)

Nem cha nuong includes grilled pork, pork bologna, and cha lui. Cha lui is the grilled rice paper roll of shrimp and pork side, which is a famous food in the central coast area. Local people roll nem cha nuong with rice paper, lettuce, herbs, chives, and dip in sour and spicy fish sauce.

Recommendation:

Nem Nuong Minh Hieu

Address: 425 Tran Hung Dao street, Phan Thiet city

Opening Hours: 4 PM – 10 PM

Price Range: 30,000 -50,000 VND

Grilled One Sun Dried Squid (Muc Mot Nang Nuong)

Big squids are washed to reduce the salt water and then dried in the sun. The sunnier it is, the more delicious the squids become. And the best part is, squid is only dried once, so the outside is dry but the inside remains fresh. That’s why it is called one sun-dried squid.

Grilled on a charcoal fire, this is the best way to eat the squid. Its original white color turns yellow and the meat becomes sweet smelling. Now the grilled squid is ready to eat! And again, the chili sauce is the must-have dipping sauce for this dish.

Recommendation:

Mot Nang – Hai San Bo Ke Restaurant

Address: 122 Nguyen Dình Chieu street, Ham Tien

Opening Hours: 11 AM – 12 PM

Price Range: 15,000 – 500,000 VND

Getting to Mui Ne

By Coach

Mui Ne is easy to reach whether you’re coming from the north or south. The most comfortable way to travel here is by bus as you can get from Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat, and Nha Trang straight to the center of Mui Ne. Whichever city you’re coming from, the trip will last about five to six hours. If you travel at night, you can book a sleeper bus with wide reclining seats. That way you’ll get some rest and be ready to explore once you reach Mui Ne the following morning. Your hostel can help you book the tickets and show you exactly where you need to go to find your bus.

We recommend you check the latest bus schedule and price via rome2rio.com

By Motorbike – Driving to Mui Ne from Ho Chi Minh City

While it’s a long drive, it is possible to go from Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne by motorbike. The trip would easily take you the whole day, but it can be worth it if you want to stop along the way to explore things that catch your eye from the road.
When going on such a long ride, be sure you’re renting your motorbike from a reliable shop and check it carefully before leaving. You wouldn’t want it to break down in the middle of a country road with the next repair shop miles away.
Also, always wear a helmet. It’s the law and the local driving practices you’ll see out on the road will make you happy for every extra bit of protection you have, especially if you’ve never driven in Vietnam.

By Car

Want to enjoy the scenery and get to Mui Ne stress-free? Hiring a private driver and a car is the best solution. This will give you the chance to stop along the way and you will have complete flexibility in terms of scheduling. If you go with a group of friends, you could even get a minivan all to yourselves. While it’s still a bit more expensive than the coach, having a vehicle just for your group can make the trip extra fun.

Getting Around in Mui Ne

By Bicycle

Most restaurants, bars, shops and beaches you’ll want to go to while in Mui Ne are all along Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, the city’s main strip. Getting around there by bicycle is quick and easy. Most hostels and hotels have bikes they rent to guests for free, so be sure to ask about that at the reception.

By Motorbike

For trips to the sand dunes, a motorbike is a good choice. It gives you extra flexibility and lets you cover distances quickly without totally tiring you out. Again, many hostels and hotels have a few bikes on hand which they rent out to guests. If they don’t, the receptionists can point you to a reliable place to rent one for the day. This usually costs around 100,000 VND (4-5 USD).

By Car

If you’ve come to Mui Ne by private driver, maybe you can ask your driver to stick around and take you to the sand dunes and other places you want to visit. Alternatively, you can get a taxi instead of paying for a driver for a full day if you are not comfortable on a motorbike.

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