Two Vietnamese vendors sharing conversations (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
(c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Mūi Né: town in Vietnam
Country: Vietnam
Coordinates: 10.9332° N, 108.2872° ECountry: Vietnam
What to eat: Seafood, Pho (rice noodles), Banh Mi (Baguette Sandwich), Banh Xeo (Crispy Pancake), etc.
What to do: surfing, nature exploration, ATV and sand boarding
Ideal time to visit: November to March to get the warmest temperature and good wave conditions
Language: Vietnamese/English
Currency: Vietnam Dong. (Philippine Peso: 53PHP = 1USD = 26,000 VND)
District 1 to Mui Ne Route, Source: Google Maps |
HOW TO PLAN YOUR MÜI NÉ ITINERARY:
1. DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF DAYS YOU WILL BE STAYING.
Since we were short on time, we decided to make Mūi Né a side trip from Ho Chi Minh. It would be ideal to stay in Mūi Né for 2 days for a relaxed and slow-paced exploration.
2. DETERMINE YOUR HOTEL LOCATION
Mūi Né is also a beach town and it would be best to stay in beach-front hotels. Cheap 3-star hotels like NamChau Boutique starts at 788PHP per night and 4-star hotels like Muine Bay Resort starts at 2,700PHP per night.
View deck of the beach (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Aside from beach activities, add destinations like temples, pagodas and scenic spots (like the red and white sand dunes) to your itinerary. Tours can be arranged in the hotel or online.
Fairy Stream (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Red Sand Dunes (c) Renz Mina |
White Sand Dunes (c) Renz Mina |
Prices in Mūi Né is roughly the same with Ho Chi Minh City. A meal costs as low as 15,000VND.
Tau Hu Nuoc Duong (tofu dessert in ginger syrup - similar to Filipino Taho) 25,000VND (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Quia Vac Cake (prawns and fatty pork with fish sauce wrapped and boiled with transparent wheat-flour dough) 20,000VND (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Pho Bo and Crocodile Meat (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Seafood Fried Rice (c) Renz Mina |
Banh Mi Stall, sandwiches starts at 15,000VND (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Vietnamese vendor selling Quia Vac Cake (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
5. DETERMINE YOUR PREFERRED TRANSPORTATION ROUTES
From Ho Chi Minh: you may opt to ride a bus, a train or a private car.
- By Train: A trip from Ho Chi Minh to Phan Thiet has a daily schedule of 6:50AM-10:30AM and the return trip is scheduled at 1:10PM. One way costs around 400,000VND. From the train station, a taxi ride costs another 400,000VND to Mūi Né. Once in Mūi Né, you may opt to hail a private car to take you on tours or rent a motorbike.
- By Bus: I would suggest taking the bus if you are in a small group or traveling solo. For a hassle-free transfer, you can book online through Bookaway.
Getting around Mūi Né: you may opt to hail a private car to take you on tours or rent a motorbike.
- By private car: Renting a car would be cheaper especially if traveling in a group. In our case, we booked a tour that is inclusive of tours and transfers from the airport, to Mūi Né, and back to our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
- By motorbike: Renting a motorbike is cheaper than renting a car. Be sure to have an international driver's permit (IDP).
Jeeps on Mūi Né tour (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Mūi Né was the first on our Ho Chi Minh City itinerary. We were 7 in the group so we opt to get a tour which includes transfers, tours and entrances. We booked a tour with Hai Tuan Travel. We were picked up from the airport, had the Mūi Né tour and dropped at our Airbnb in HCMC.
Hai Tuan Travel
Contact Mr. Hai Tuan on Whatsapp: +84 93 125 26 83
Hai Tuan Travel Website
Tip: If you plan on going to Mūi Né as a side trip, I would still suggest booking a tour like this regardless of the number of persons in the group. It would be convenient, saves money on transfers and hassle-free.
Hai Tuan Travel offers 2 tours for Mūi Né.
1. The Sunrise Tour
The tour starts at 12:40AM (Vietnam Time) to 2:30PM (Vietnam Time).
2. The Sunset Tour
The tour starts at 7:30AM (Vietnam Time) to 11:00PM (Vietnam Time).
Hai Tuan Travel prices:
From 1 - 2 pax: US$ 145 / whole trip for group of 2 people
From 3 - 6 pax: US$ 155 / whole trip for group of 6 people
From 7 - 10 pax: US$ 195 / whole trip for group of 10 people
From 11 - 14 pax: US$ 220 / whole trip for group of 14 people
Kat, Renz, Jovelle and Rae at Fairy Stream (c) Cheloi Marasigan |
Renz, Cheloi and Nathan (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Our arrival in HCM was around midnight. Which was perfect for the sunrise tour of Mũi Né. Given that it was a pre-booked tour, our itinerary was all laid out:
Mũi Né Sunrise Sand Dunes tour from Saigon
🚩12:30 AM: Pick up at Airport by Ho Chi Minh-Mũi Né van
🚩4:30 AM: Arrival at Mũi Né and drop by Ho Chi Minh-Mũi Né van. Pick up by jeep for the sunrise tour.
- White sand dunes
- Red sand dunes
- Fishing Village
- Fairy stream
🚩10:30 AM: End of sunrise tour. Pick up by Mũi Né-Ho Chi Minh van
🚩2:30 PM: Arrival at Ho Chi Minh and drop at Ho Chi Minh Hotel
The tour includes private van transfers from Ho Chi Minh to Mũi Né and back and a private jeep that would take the group on the Mũi Né tour. It also includes all entrance tickets, a cool towel and mineral water. The tour will make stops for breakfast and lunch/dinner.
One of our photographers, Renz Mina |
One of our photographers, Cheloi Marasigan |
One of our photographers, Jovelle Palicpic |
The white sand dunes has the highest dunes in Mũi Né. To enjoy White Sand Dunes, we rented an ATV which costs 38USD or 200,000VND for 30 minutes which is good for 2 pax. You can also enjoy the sand board which costs 9USD for one sliding board.
The vast sand dunes and the vendors (c) Renz Mina |
White Sand Dunes (c) Renz Mina |
The red sand dunes can be accessed by walking from the main road. It was relatively low compared to white sand dunes. They also offer sand boarding here.
Dunes and tourists (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
A vendor at the dunes (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Vietnamese vendors (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
FISHING VILLAGE
Since Mũi Né is along the coastal side of Vietnam, the fishing village serves fresh and cheap seafood. You can witness the local life and the sight of colorful boats along the shoreline.
FAIRY STREAM
The fairy stream is a unique experience. From the road line, we had to take off our shoes, walk a few steps down and walk along the stream. While walking in the knee-deep water, we enjoyed the view of reddish-white sand and rock formations. The stream colored by clay and limestone particles has its water coming from Dinh Mountain in Ham Tien.
Kat at the Fairy swing! (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Although the local tried to prevent the cow from going into the stream, nothing stopped him! (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
Red-rock cliffs and rock formations (c) Jovelle Palicpic |
- Po Shanu Cham Towers
- Hoi Tinh Pagoda
- Phuoc Thien Pagoda
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FOOTNOTES:
Photos by Jovelle Palicpic, Renz Mina, Rae Argallon, and Cheloi Marasigan | Shot with Canon 70D, Samsung NX300 and Samsung Note 9 | Mui Ne, Vietnam | Aug 2019
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First time I see such a method of cooking. Anyway, on the photo, the dishes look very tasty. I believe, in real life, it tastes even better.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I know nothing about traveling all over the country, what a wonderful looking place to explore.
ReplyDelete