Mui Ne has a beach. It's fine. Wide, sandy, decent for swimming when the wind isn't turning the surf into a washing machine. But honestly? The beach is the least interesting thing here.
The dunes, the fishing village, the canyon, the wind — that's what makes this corner of Vietnam worth the 5-hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City.
I'm putting this first because it's the thing you'll remember longest. The White Dunes (Bau Trang) are 35km northeast of Mui Ne — a landscape that looks like someone transplanted the Sahara into southern Vietnam.
Vast rippled sand stretching to the horizon. A hidden lotus lake behind the main dune field. And at 5:30AM, when the first light hits the sand, the shadows turn every ridge into a sculpture.
Entry: VND 15,000 (~$0.60). ATV rides: VND 200,000-600,000 for 15-40 minutes. The sunrise jeep tour departing at 4:30AM costs VND 500,000-800,000 for the car — split among passengers, it's very affordable.
Bring water. By 8AM, the sand is hot enough to burn bare feet.
Mui Ne's fishing village is 3km east of the tourist strip. Hundreds of colorful round basket boats (thung chai) bob in the harbor alongside wooden fishing vessels. At 5-7AM, the fishermen return with the night's catch and the morning market erupts.
It's chaos. Fish flying between hands. Ice being crushed. Motorbikes weaving through the chaos. The smell is... intense. And the colors — orange, blue, green boats against the morning light — are extraordinary.
Free to visit. Just show up early and stay out of the way.
Suoi Tien — a shallow ankle-deep stream flowing through a canyon of layered red and white sandstone. You leave your shoes at the entrance and walk upstream for 30-40 minutes, the warm water barely covering your feet.
The eroded walls create natural sculpture — curves and layers of color that look deliberately designed. The stream ends at a small waterfall. Turn around and walk back.
Entry: VND 15,000. Go early to avoid crowds. It's not an adrenaline experience — it's a quiet, beautiful, uniquely weird one.
Mui Ne's consistent afternoon thermals (November-April) and wide, sandy beach make it one of the world's best places to learn kitesurfing. The shallow water along the main beach is forgiving for beginners.
Courses: $250-350 for 6-10 hours over 2-3 days. Equipment rental for experienced riders: $50-80/day. C2Sky and Jibe's are well-established schools.
Even if you don't kite, watching the afternoon sessions from a beach chair — dozens of colorful kites arcing across the sky — is free entertainment.
The Red Sand Dunes (Doi Cat Hong) glow orange in the golden hour. They're smaller than the White Dunes but right at the edge of town — walkable from many hotels.
Local kids rent plastic sleds for VND 20,000-30,000 per person. The sliding is more fun than it sounds — the dunes are steep enough for genuine speed. Adults do this. It's allowed. It's encouraged.
Free entry. Best at sunset.
Binh Thuan province grows 85% of Vietnam's dragon fruit. The plants — tall cacti on concrete posts — line every road outside town. Some farms offer tours (VND 50,000-100,000) where you can pick fruit, learn the cultivation process, and drink fresh dragon fruit smoothies (VND 15,000).
Peak harvest: May-October. Even outside harvest season, the farms are visually interesting and the smoothies are year-round.
Skip the tourist-strip restaurants and head to Phan Thiet city (20 minutes by motorbike) for the night market. Grilled seafood — prawns, squid, fish, scallops — at prices that would make the Nguyen Dinh Chieu strip weep.
A full seafood dinner with beer: VND 150,000-300,000 (~$6-12). The crab here is particularly good.
Ke Ga Lighthouse sits on a tiny island 30km south of Mui Ne — a French colonial-era lighthouse from 1899 that's the tallest in Southeast Asia. A boat from the mainland (VND 50,000) takes 5 minutes.
The ride down the coast is scenic — quiet beaches, fishing villages, and stretches of rocky coastline. Rent a motorbike and make a half-day of it.
For more on this destination, check out our Your 12 Biggest Mui Ne Questions, Answered.
For more on this destination, check out our My 3-Day Mui Ne Diary: Dunes, Wind, Fish, and a 4:30AM Wake-Up.
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