Mui Ne, Vietnam

Year end is usually the monsoon season where there will be plenty of rain, especially on the east coast of Vietnam.  Most of the people will be flocking to the west coast of Vietnam such as Phu Quoc where you have sunshine rather than rain. 

Phu Quoc or Mui Ne?
I was contemplating between Phu quoc and Mui ne.  Both are beach resort area. Nha Trang is out as it is monsoon season (Sep to Dec).   

Did some research and found the following:

• Phu Quoc is commonly known as the Maldive of Vietnam.  It has white sandy beaches and many established resorts/ hotels.  Phu Quoc is also famously known to be the home of the best fish sauce in Vietnam (though I am not a fish sauce gourmet, this was what I have gathered from what I have read).

• Mui ne is known to be a kite surfing paradise. Not only that it is the driest part of Vietnam (windy and hardly rain), it is also known for it strong wind for kite surfing. On top of that, there are sand dune, mini canyon and interesting fishing village where you can see basket boats. Mui ne was chosen!

*Note:   Ham Tien is the place to stay in Mui ne area.  As this is the area where many waterfront beach resorts/ hotels are found.  Futa buses will terminate at Ham tien beach.  Ham tien is commonly being term as Mui ne probably due to its proximity. 

How to get to Mui ne?

From airport 

• You can prebooked mini bus from the vietnam bus ticket website that goes directly. Cost S$20.50 per pax with the following departure time slot: 0800, 1000, 1430, 1700.  However, if there is any flight delay, you may miss your bus with no refund.  So do give time allowance during planning.

From Ho Chi Minh City Center

• Take airport bus no.109 (VND20,000=S$1.20) or public bus no. 152 (VND5,000=S$0.30) to HCMC backpacker street (Pham Ngu Lao). It's a half an hour bus ride. Transfer to HCMC -> Mui ne (Ham tien) bus at De Tham street.

• There are 2 reliable bus services to Mui ne, Futa bus (Phurong Trang Futa Busline) and The Sinh Tourist.  Both are located at De Tham street. I chose Futa over The Sinh Tourist due to their more regular bus frequency (almost every hour) and all buses to Mui ne are sleeper bus.  One way bus costs VND135,000=S$7.90 and it brings you straight to your resort/hotel in Ham Tien beach. You can prebooked tickets at their website (www.futabus.vn) if you want to secure a seat but not necessary as I do see the locals just buy tickets on the spot and board the bus. The advantage of NOT prebooking is that you don't waste your bus ticket in case of flight delay. Anyway, it's only a small amount to pay even if you were to miss your bus. 

Futa bus stop location & Futabus schedule (to Vung Tau, Da Lat, Mui ne, Nha Trang)

Interior of the sleeper bus

Where to stay in Mui Ne?

I would recommend Ham Tien beach area, especially for those who don't intend to rent a motorbike (cheapest and convenient way of transport, rental is about $12 per day).  There are many eateries in this resort area.  Take a look at the satellite top down view of Ham Tien, the white powdery sand area are around Mia resort area. The rest of the beach area has very short coastline and filled with coarse brown sand instead.  There are kite surfing school around the area though most of the professional kite surfers will be at the other side of Mui ne.

What to do in Mui ne?

• White sand dune

• Red sand dune

• Fishing village

• Fairies Stream (mini canyon)

• Ham Tien market

• Enjoy a spa at Botanica Spa
• Learn to kite surf
• Take a dip at Mui ne mineral mud center

Where to eat?

• Bo Ke Seafood opposite Oriental Pearl Resort (also known as Hoang Ngoc resort)
• There is a whole stretch of seafood restaurant starting from 70 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street and price escalate as you walk towards the bigger number. 

*Disclaimer:  This is a personal blog, no commission given for the above said recommendations.