Mui Ne

Southern Vietnam's "little Sahara": sunrise over the White Sand Dunes, sandboarding on the Red Sand Dunes and barefoot walks up the Fairy Stream — plus one of Asia's top kitesurfing spots.

Mui Ne lies on Vietnam's south-central coast, about 20 km east of the city of Phan Thiết. Formerly part of Bình Thuận Province (it became part of Lâm Đồng Province after Vietnam's 2025 provincial mergers), it is a fishing-village peninsula jutting into the South China Sea. One of the driest areas in Vietnam, its strong sea winds have created vast red and white sand dunes, earning it the nickname "Vietnam's Sahara". The roughly 10 km Hàm Tiến–Mui Ne coastline is lined with resorts and is a well-known kitesurfing destination; it also draws many Russian visitors, and Russian-language signs are common on the streets.

Best time to visit: November to April is the dry season, with plenty of sunshine; the northeast wind is strongest from November to March, the prime season for kitesurfing and windsurfing. May–Oct is the rainy season, mostly with afternoon showers; the winds are lighter and the sea calmer, which is better for swimming, and hotels are cheaper. Temperatures stay at 25–33°C year-round.

Ways to explore: The classic option is a half-day jeep tour — set off at 4 am to watch the sunrise at the White Sand Dunes, then visit the Lotus Lake, the Red Sand Dunes, Mui Ne fishing village and the Fairy Stream in turn; alternatively, choose an afternoon tour to catch sunset at the Red Sand Dunes. The rest of your time can go to relaxing on the beach, learning to kitesurf and feasting on seafood. Further afield are the Po Shanu Cham Towers in Phan Thiết, Kê Gà Lighthouse and the reclining Buddha on Tà Cú Mountain.

Getting there: Long-distance buses from Ho Chi Minh City (via the expressway opened in 2023) take about 3–4 hours to Mui Ne and can drop you along the resort strip; or take the train to Phan Thiết Station (about 4 hours) and then a taxi of about 30 minutes. Locally, get around by Grab or a rented motorbike. Plan 2–3 days. Note: the sun on the dunes is extremely strong, so bring sunglasses, a head scarf and sunscreen; agree on prices for dune ATVs in advance; at seafood stalls, confirm the per-weight price before ordering.

Top sights

White Sand Dunes (Bàu Trắng) – A vast white desert and White Lake (Lotus Lake), about 25 km northeast of Mui Ne. Ride jeeps or off-road motorbikes across the sand to watc…
Red Sand Dunes – Orange-red dunes beside Mui Ne fishing village, only a few kilometres from the resorts, where you can rent sliding boards to ride down the…
Fairy Stream – Walk barefoot through a shallow stream that reaches only to the ankles, flanked by sandstone cliffs eroded into red-and-white shapes, like…
Mui Ne Fishing Village – More than a hundred blue fishing boats and round basket boats crowd the bay. At dawn, fishermen unload their catch onto the beach and trade…
Mui Ne Beach – A resort beach stretching about 10 km, known across Asia as a top destination for kitesurfing and windsurfing, with rows of seafood barbecu…
Po Sah Inu Cham Towers – Hindu brick temple towers built between the 8th and 9th centuries by the Champa kingdom on a hill outside Phan Thiet, overlooking Phan Thie…
Kê Gà Lighthouse – A stone lighthouse built in 1899 during the French colonial period, on a small island in the sea south of Phan Thiet. It is one of Vietnam'…
Tà Cú Mountain – An ancient temple on a mountain about 650 meters above sea level. Visitors can take the cable car up to see a white reclining Buddha about…
Hon Rom – A quiet bay at the eastern tip of the Mui Ne peninsula, with sand dunes right by the beach. The water is clearer than at the main beach, ma…
Ong Dia Rock Beach – A rocky beach on the coast of Hàm Tiến, covered with round stones and moss. Named after a boulder that resembles the Earth God, it is a nic…
Van Thuy Tu Whale Temple – An ancient temple where Phan Thiet fishermen worship whales. It enshrines a whale skeleton about 22 meters long, said to be one of the larg…
Phan Thiet Water Tower – A four-story water tower designed by the French in the 1930s, a symbol of Phan Thiet. It stands by the Cà Ty River and is especially striki…
Duc Thanh School & Ho Chi Minh Museum – A private school where Ho Chi Minh taught in his youth (1910–1911). It now opens alongside the Binh Thuan branch of the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
Lau Ong Hoang Ruins – A ruined French villa on a hill beside the Po Shanu Cham Towers, tied to a love story involving poet Han Mac Tu, with views across Phan Thi…
Fishermen Show (Huyen Thoai Lang Chai) – A large open-air stage show in Mui Ne that uses lighting, water screens and acrobatics to tell the stories of Phan Thiet's fishermen, and a…
Sealinks Wine Castle – A castle-style wine cellar and viewpoint in the Sealinks resort, with free photo spots, wine tasting and views over the Mui Ne coastline.
Doi Duong Beach Park – A seaside park and beach in central Phan Thiet, where locals exercise, swim and eat seafood in the shade of casuarina trees.
Co Thach Pagoda & Pebble Beach – A seaside temple built against giant boulders in Tuy Phong district, with a multicolored pebble beach that is covered in moss in winter and…
Cu Lao Cau Island – An uninhabited island off Tuy Phong with colorful rock formations, coral and clear water that rival those of remote islands. Suited to a da…

Where to eat

Một Nắng Seafood Restaurant – A coconut-grove seafood restaurant on the Hàm Tiến seawall, famous for sun-dried squid and Phan Thiết raw fish hotpot.
Vista Restaurant (The Cliff Resort) – A clifftop seafood restaurant with sea views inside The Cliff Resort, which has topped TripAdvisor's Mui Ne list for ye…
Bánh Căn Xíu Mại Hàm Tiến – A popular roadside bánh căn stall in Hàm Tiến, serving rice cakes with a runny-yolk egg, crispy pork crackling and siu…
Nam Phương Quán – A family seafood restaurant at the entrance to Mui Ne Fishing Village, with cheese-baked scallops and fish hotpot in ge…

Itineraries

Coast & Highlands: Hoi An to Saigon – Head south along the south-central coast via Quy Nhon and Nha Trang, ascend to Da Lat, then continue to Mui Ne and Saig…