It’s easy to lose track of time in Mui Ne, riding bicycles along the coast, spending afternoons by the pool, and dining on fresh seafood with the sound of the waves in the background. With ideal conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing, brightly coloured kites are a fixture on Mui Ne’s beaches year-round. Over the years, this seaside retreat has evolved to offer guesthouses and resorts of every stripe. Come for the surf, stay for the mellow atmosphere.
Top things to do in Mui Ne
Explore the fishing harbour
Most of Mui Ne’s appeal comes from the 12 kilometres of beach that runs from nearby Phan Thiet to Mui Ne, where the area’s original fishing village remains. Come early in the morning to watch the fishermen unload their catch.
Try kitesurfing
Mui Ne’s dependable winds, which average above 12 knots for more than 200 days of the year, are no longer a secret. Kitesurfing schools are your best bet for finding professional instructors, and the main beach is the safest area for newbies.
Climb the sand dunes
A pair of massive sand dunes, one red and one white, are positioned like deserts in the middle of a seaside oasis. Try sand-sledding down the dunes, then walk the freshwater Fairy Springs to see formations carved by wind and rain.
Visit the Cham Towers
Mui Ne’s Cham Towers are worth a visit. Perched between Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, these thousand-year-old Hindu temples belong to the former Cham empire, a medieval kingdom which ruled much of the southern coast for centuries.
Dine on fresh seafood
Vendors set up camp every night along the seaside with the catch of the day on offer. Just take your pick and tell the cooks how you’d like it prepared. Steamed fish, grilled clams, and sweet and sour prawns are all surefire bets.
Mui Ne Weather
Mui Ne is best between November and April when a slightly cool and windy dry season prevails. Tourist arrivals in the town reach their peak between November and January, and high season for kite surfers is between November and March.
Mui Ne Transport
Roughly 220 kilometres from Saigon, Mui Ne attracts occasional weekend visitors from Ho Chi Minh City, as well as travellers heading south from Nha Trang and Da Lat. Tourist buses routinely stop along Mui Ne’s main stretch. For train travellers, the nearest station lies in Phan Thiet, a 30-minute drive from Mui Ne. It’s easy enough to walk to local seafood barbeques, shops and beachside stalls. For attractions further away, try hiring a taxi, motorbike or using a ride-hailing app. A shuttle service from the bus and train station is available to most hotels and resorts.
