Have you even heard of Mui Ne in Vietnam?
In the 90s Mui Ne was a relatively isolated Vietnamese town, but the crescent shaped beach that lies south of the village soon began to attract surfers. Now, low rise beach resorts lie adjacent to the traditional fishing village, providing respite on the road for backpackers.
Our arrival in Mui Ne was typical of Vietnam’s laidback approach to organisation.
Easing ourselves off the bunk beds in the six hour bus from Ho Chi Minh City, we jumped in a cab and travelled along a road which hosted more yaks than vehicles, to the accommodation we had booked into online the night before.
At the hotel, we were met with puzzled faces, who nodded at the scores of gauze covered chairs that were being placed all over the hotel’s outdoor area. Someone had booked the entire resort out for a wedding, only the owners hadn’t thought to tell other guests who were booking rooms on the same day.
A man appeared (they always do) and told us to hop on his scooter, he would take us to his sister’s hotel along the road. What choice did we have?
Accommodation in Mui Ne
Our alternative accommodation in Mui Ne turned out to be a little slice of heaven along the Vietnam backpacking trial. We had our very own whitewashed beach bungalow on the coast.
The pool was full of Vietnamese kids during the afternoons, but a gate led to a stretch of beach that felt secluded despite the proximity of other resorts.
In this post, I mentioned that storms had redirected our boat trip along the Mekong to HCMC and we had spent a night cowering on bunk beds in a dorm room as lightning struck.
The weather raged on, and on our first night in Mui Ne, we ate at a Japanese restaurant then watched Pirates of the Caribbean in our room and hoped we weren’t going to die.
The aftermath of the turbulent weather was visible in Mui Ne. The beach was littered with broken coconuts and other flotsam and jetsam, but that didn’t take away from its appeal.
Even the most erm, geographically challenged traveller won’t get lost in Mui Ne, because it pretty much consists of one stretch of road, Nguyen Dinh Chieu. It’s a good idea to hire bikes and cycle North along the coast to the sand dunes.
Next stop, Nha Trang – but first, another horrendous Vietnamese bus journey 🙂
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Ryan Biddulph says
Hi Dannielle,
Oh we must head back to Vietnam to see Mui Ne! Fab shots and story 😉 We did Hoi An by the beach and loved it. Also dug Hanoi and a few smaller towns like Danang and Hue. The people are fab and yes, those thunderstorm in Vietnam off of the South China Sea get violent!
Ryan
Sarah says
Great article. We visited Mui Ne last year and like you I had a big storm rumble in over the ocean! Just booked our flights last night to head back again!
Nicole says
Beautifully written and lovely pics! I’ve travelled throughout Asia but not to Nam. I need to add it to the list.
Sarah Ebner says
Hope the bus journey isn’t too dreadful! Glad you got some calmness (after the storm) here. It looks so pretty.
Globalmouse says
I can’t believe I haven’t made it to Vietnam yet. This sounds like a great find and the beach looks beautiful despite the storm debris. Aagh, I must make it to Vietnam soon!
Fiona @ London-Unattached says
Storms can be quite the romance of travelling imo. A great story – and somewhere I really haven’t come across before.
Natasha Amar says
I didn’t make it to Mui Ne when I was in Vietnam. From your photos and story, I know I’ve got to go back 🙂
Revati says
That beach does look great in the after ppic. Woonder how it looked before the storm!
Katie Featherstone says
There was a massive storm while I was there too!! We were trapped inside for a couple of days, but the beach was so beautiful when it finally cleared. I love the clouds in your photo. 🙂
James says
I went in the rainy season last year so I didn’t see the beach at its best so I suspect I will be returning seeing it is close to Saigon (where I am based).
Nic from Roaming Renegades says
Sounds like a lovey escape from the hustle and bustle and somewhere we would love to visit when backpacking to recharge and relax.
Milosz Zak says
What are people’s attitudes to the West and Americans especially? I know the war was decades ago, but those kinds of scars fester for generations. I’m very curious about this part of Vietnamese society.