How to Spend 1 Day in Mui Ne (and is it even worth it?)

Mũi Né is a beach resort town slash small fishing village around 3-4 hours northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

It earned its place on tourist maps for its red and white sand dunes, water sports opportunities, seafood, and oddly pretty rock formations.

Is this justified? Kind of. Mui Ne has some truly amazing natural beauty. But it also reeks of tourist traps. How do you reconcile these two? My solution is to spend just 1 day in Mui Ne.

Is Mui Ne worth visiting?

You may be thinking that since I’ve written a whole post about Mui Ne, then I believe it’s worth it. You are only partially correct.

I sometimes review the places I don’t like too. Take a look at the tourist trap that the Cai Rang Floating Market has become. Or my polarized opinions about Vietnam in general.

Mui Ne itself is pretty touristy. There is barely any local culture left with some areas housing more Russians than Vietnamese. The beach strip between Mui Ne and Phan Tiet (where you will likely be staying as most hotels and hostels are here) is so tacky, I don’t think I can say anything positive about it.

It just feels like a massive artificially created tourist trap.

But then there are also the beautiful dunes, the fairy stream, the beaches, and the Instagramable fishing boats. There is charm in Mui Ne. There are unique places you won’t find in the rest of Vietnam (and perhaps in Southeast Asia).

So is Mui Ne worth it? Yes, kind of. Only if you have an eye able to filter natural beauty from the artificial packaging.

Is 1 day in Mui Ne enough?

With all I said about the worthiness of Mui Ne, it’s an easy answer for this one: 1 day in Mui Ne is perfect enough to visit all the interesting natural phenomena while not getting bored with the absolute template of a tourist trap that the seaside resort is.

Top places to visit in Mui Ne

Alright, time for the interesting places in Mui Ne. Remember, this is a guide for a 1 full day of stay so I’ve narrowed it down to just 5 attractions.

Mui ne Fishing Village

Called Làng chài Mũi Né in Vietnamese [map], this is a small bay on the west side of Mui Ne.

It’s a very pretty place. Hundreds of fishing boats dot the water. The fishing boats aren’t ordinary either – they are the small round 1, max 2 men boats typical in South Vietnam.

On the coast, vendors sell the fish and seafood they (or their husbands) have caught. If you go in the evening, you can buy ready-to-eat seafood at very affordable prices (lobster for 200.000 VND for example).

The bad side of it all? If you go down to the shore, you will see tons of plastic trash littering the beach. Ain’t a pretty sight. If you don’t want to be disappointed, stay on the road above and watch from afar.

Red Sand Dunes

As a seaside town, there is of course a lot of sand. But here, we are talking about heaps and heaps of reddish sand that will make you feel like you’re in the desert if only for a little bit.

Their name in Vietnamese is Đồi Cát Đỏ [map]. The dunes are very close to Mui Ne proper (2 km) and reachable by scooter. There is no entrance fee.

Once there, you can either walk around and enjoy the sand or partake in paid activities like sand sliding or an ATV ride. Both are a bit pricy if you ask me but to each their own.

It’s best to go to the Red Sand Dunes for sunset when the colors are most vivid.

White Sand Dunes

The White Dunes are huge! They are much bigger and more awe-inspiring than their red counterpart.

They cover a large area and while you can totally explore on foot to save money, what most do is rent an ATV and go on 4 wheels. Avoid the camel ride – tacky and unethical.

To go by ATV Jeep, you should book this Jeep Tour from Mui Ne and pick to go at sunrise.

The Police Roadblock

The White Sand Dunes [map] are quite a lot further from Mui Ne (~27 km). Reaching them by scooter independently is possible, of course, but not without getting through the infamous police roadblock.

There is just 1 road (DT716) and somewhere on the way police always have a checkpoint. They will stop you and demand a bribe. Even if all your documents are in order, there will be something else:

• No helmet (or even not wearing it properly, whatever that means)
• 2 people on a scooter (yes, technically illegal, although I’ve seen a family of 5 on 1 motorcycle)
• Speeding (speed limit is 40 km/h although the road is flat and straight)

The police are not there to maintain the law, but to take bribes.

You may get away with 200.000 VND but sometimes (if they’ve had a bad day so far) you may have to bribe up to 1 million VND. It’s just not worth the hassle.

For this reason, I recommend you book a tour that will include transport to the White Sand Dunes and a lovely Jeep Ride. Check out the one I recommended above, or take your pick from the ones below:

Fairy Stream

The Fairy Stream has no fairies. I know, boo hoo, what a misnomer.

It feels weirdly magical still. You walk barefoot in knee-deep water surrounded by colorful rocks, towering trees, and stone formations.

The entrance [map] may not be obvious as you pass. There shouldn’t be an entrance fee despite what the locals that have set up camp there tell you. Park your scooter (if you have any) and pay 10.000 VND for parking. Leave your shoes inside the trunk. Then walk under the bridge and enter the stream.

The walk is about 1 km each way. There are some restaurants on the right side. At the end there is a “waterfall” – really just a small stream of water falling from 2-3 meters.

At times the water gets a bit deeper but never dangerously so.

Po Sah Inu Cham Towers

After what are mostly natural attractions, top it all off with a visit to something relatively ancient and man-made – the Po Sah Inu Champ Towers [map].

If you are coming from the north, they will look very similar to what you saw at the UNESCO heritage site of My Son (near Hoi An) as well as the Po Nagar Tower in Nha Trang.

Yes! They were built by the same people – the Champa – who developed a Hindu state in the region of south and central Vietnam between the 2nd and 19th centuries AD.

Many of their religious buildings exist in this region of Vietnam and if you have the chance, visit their remnants near Mui Ne.

The entrance ticket is 15.000 VND (~0.6$).

1-day tours in Mui Ne

If you can ride a scooter and are willing to, then go ahead and visit the recommended top places above independently. It’s the budget-friendly way to explore Mui Ne.

But if you want some convenience and someone else to take care of the itinerary, then you should look at a 1-day tour that includes all of them.

The best such tour is this Jeep tour which includes both sand dunes, the fishing village, and the fairy stream.

Oh, you’re still in Ho Chi Minh City and want to visit Mui Ne and go back? Then check out this day trip to Mui Ne from HCMC which can optionally be extended to a 2D/1N trip.

Where to stay in Mui Ne

As far as hostels in Mui Ne go, one stands out: The iHome Backpacker Resort.

You have the beachfront, activities, free beer and water, motorcycle rentals, and the vibe of a Southeast Asian party hostel. And if you’re worried the 12-bed dorms will be too noisy, they also have private rooms.

As for hotels, there are indeed many (it’s a seaside resort after all) but my vote goes to Minh Hung for its awesome balance of price vs quality.

Where to after Mui Ne?

If you’re southbound, the next obvious stop is Vietnam’s biggest city – Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon.

If you’re northbound, you have a choice to make:

• Go to the Vietnamese Highlands and visit Vietnam’s coolest city – Da Lat.
• Follow the coast and go to Nha Trang.
• Skip the rest of South Vietnam and teleport (i.e. overnight train, bus, or a quick flight) to Da Nang & Hoi An.

See my complete 1 month Vietnam Itinerary for more information.