Mui Ne, Phan Thiet is famous for its long stretches of white sand, blue sea and rows of coconut trees. Visitors can come to Mui Ne year-round, each season “paradise of sea” brings a different beauty. From April to August is the most beautiful time in Mui Ne, this time the sea is clear and cool. August to December, will be suitable for surfing enthusiasts and adventurous sports for the moment.
How To Go To Mui Ne Beach?
From Ho Chi Minh City, you can easily travel to Mui Ne by motorbike, bus or train.
The solo traveller often follow the coastal road. From Ho Chi Minh City, you can follow the direction of Cat Lai ferry, go to Long Thanh, then go to Ba Ria town, next follow Ho Tram direction through Loc An, after that follow the coastal road towards Phan Thiet. The total distance is about 230 km.
If you do not ride a motorbike, you can also go to the Mien Dong bus station to buy tickets to Phan Thiet. But travel time is about 5 hours, ticket price is VND 130,000 per person, depending on the bus.
Guests can also take the SPT1 / SPT4 train from Saigon Station. Ticket price is 110,000 VND per person, starting in the morning.
From Hanoi, you can fly to Ho Chi Minh City and move to Phan Thiet or fly to Cam Ranh, Nha Trang and catch a bus to Mui Ne (nearly 200 km).
The best time to travel to Mui Ne
Mui Ne is one of the most attractive destinations for tourists in Vietnam. The weather here is so perfect for a trip at any time in the year. Mui Ne weather guarantees you a memorable trip with many exciting activities!
Although you can visit this place at any time in the year, it is suggested that the best time to travel here is from November to April which falls into the dry season. In this time, you will have the chances to experience the beautiful scenery in Phan Thiet, where is famous for its wonderful beach and interesting sight-seeing.
If you are the one who loves discovering and enjoying adventure tours, then you should travel to Mui Ne between November and April. On the other hand, if you love interesting local festivals, you should visit this place in January, February or March. On traveling in this time, you will have the opportunities to experience the colorful and exciting ambiance of traditional festivals.
Besides, if you love outdoor games or interesting activities at the beach, then, the best time to pay a visit to Mui Ne – Phan Thiet is from May to October. As in this time, the wind’s and wave’s movement is ideal for all kinds of water sports such as surfing or sailing. Overall, Phan Thiet is suitable for traveling at any time in a year.
Sightseeing Around Mui Ne Beach
Mui Ne is not only a “paradise of entertainment” with a beautiful coastline, it is also famous for many historical and Cham Pa cultural sites. Here are 10 most famous destinations in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet.
1. Hon Rom
Hon Rom is the name of a small wild mountain located in Long Son hamlet, Mui Ne ward, Phan Thiet. Visitors should go to Hon Rom in the early morning or late afternoon to watch the sunrise and sunset. This is also an ideal camping site at night or watch the stars. Clusters of beaches in Hon Rom smooth waves, no reefs and clear blue water. You can ask for directions to Rom 1, Hon Rom 2 or Thuy Trang beach to swim.
2. Pink Sand Hill (Doi Cat Hong)
Near Hon Rom is one of the most beautiful landscapes of Mui Ne – Doi Cat Hong. In addition to the long wavy sand, the color of sand is also a tourist attraction. There are 18 different colors on the hill. On the sand hill, you can rent skis, cost about 20,000 VND per plate.
At the foot of the sand hill, there are some quick food and drinks such as: three-stroke coconut, filtered flour, tofu …
3. Hon Genh
Hon Genh is also known as Hon Lao, this place is about 1 km from Mui Ne and quite pristine. To get to Hon Genh, you can rent boats from fishermen (VND 200,000 per boat for 10 people) or take a shuttle service from the resort or hotel.
Early in the morning you can come here to fish, then go scuba diving to see the coral, the evening is the best time to watch the sunset and sunset at sea.
4. Bau Trang – Bau Sen
Bau Trang – Bau Sen is two natural freshwater lakes located between immense white sand hills. To Bau Trang in the summer, visitors can admire thousands of lotus blooming among white sand hills.
Bau Trang sand hill is likened to “Sahara sub-Saharan” in Vietnam with immense, untouched scenery. Here you can hire a terrain vehicle or a Jeep to drive around Bau Trang, costing about VND 600,000 for 20 minutes.
5. Suoi Tien (Fairy Stream)
Fairy Stream in Mui Ne is called “Bong lai Tien Canh” by tourists. There is a small slot located next to Hon Rom.
The stream edge is a natural stone hill with red and white colors with many strange shapes due to the erosion of time.
6. Mui Ne Fishing Village
The fishing village of Mui Ne is about 3 km from the town. Right at the fishing village entrance are hundreds of colorful fishing boats anchored. Not far away is a small market with a peaceful life.
Although the fishing village stretches only 100 meters along the coast. It is a place where visitors can clearly recognize the lives of fishermen. If you come to the fishing village in the early morning, you can buy many fresh seafood when the boat has just arrived.
7. Duc Thanh School
This is the historical destination you should visit when coming to Mui Ne. The school was founded in 1907 by the patriotic mandarins to respond to the Duy Tan movement in Central Vietnam. Duc Thanh School is also the place where President Ho Chi Minh stopped teaching before entering Saigon. Today in Duc Thanh school area retains almost intact memories of nearly a century ago.
8. Poshanu Tower
7 km northeast of the center of Phan Thiet, Poshanu Cham Tower is the remains of the ancient Kingdom of Champa. The tower has Hoa Lai architectural style in the ancient art style of Cham Pa.
If you have time, you should also visit Hon Ba Island, Ke Ga Lighthouse, Ta Cu Mountain, Co Thach Stone Beach, Hang Pagoda, Lanh Son, Cu Lao Cau, Phu Quy Island …
Top Dishes In Mui Ne
Seven Dishes from Iguana (Dong)
Mui Ne is famous for huge sand dunes which are the inhabited by the iguana, called Dong in Vietnamese. It is a reptile, quite similar to the lizard, but larger and longer. Because this reptile lives in the wild environment, its meat is really tasty.
Local people cook iguana in seven ways: grilled, steamed, fried, roasted, raw, served in porridge, iguana pie, and served alongside vegetables. Therefore, the local people call this the seven dishes from iguana and these dishes are all delicious. My favorite is grilled iguana dipped in salt and pepper. Choose one, maybe choose all seven and let me know what you think!
Tha Hotpot (Lau Tha)
The main ingredients of Tha hot pot are deep herring (ca mai), boiled pork side (thit ba chi), scrambled eggs, fried rice paper (banh da), vermicelli (bun), star fruit, and vegetables.
The highlight of Tha hotpot is that all the ingredients are served in red banana flower peels. You will choose which ingredients you like, add it to your bowl, pour hot pot soup into the bowl, and enjoy the food. If you are familiar with hotpot, you will notice that instead of putting the ingredients into the pot simmering over the flame, you actually place them in your individual bowl. This is truly unique and it makes for a beautiful spread!
Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Dumpling (Banh Quai Vac)
Banh quai vac is called Vietnamese pork and shrimp dumpling in English. The crust is made of wheat flour and the filling is made of shrimp and pork. Sprinkle spring onions and fried pork fat (top mo) on the top, dip it into the sweet and sour sauce, and enjoy.
Banh quai vac is sold in many places, from street vendors to luxury restaurants. However, eating banh quai vac from the street vendors will be an unforgettable and authentic experience.
Deep-fried Snakehead Fish Rolled with Rice Paper (Ca Loc Chien Xu Cuon Banh Trang)
Snakehead fish is a common fish cooked in many Vietnamese dishes, and deep fried snakehead fish rolled with rice paper is a famous dish in Mui Ne. This is also a unique dish because the fish is not fried with flour and the cook leaves the fish scales on! The whole fish is dunked in oil and fried, so both the tail and scales become rough and create a crunchy texture.
Take a small piece of deep-fried snakehead fish, roll it into rice paper with vermicelli, raw vegetables, young banana, star fruit, dip the roll into spicy peanut sauce, and enjoy the delicious treat.
Salad with Deep Herring (Goi Ca Mai)
Big and fresh deep herrings (ca mai) are carefully chosen to make the good taste of this food. The deep herring’s scales, head, tail, and bone are removed before they are plunged into ice. After that, a variety of ingredients such as lemon juice, carrots, onion, basil, peppers, garlic, and peanuts are mixed together with the herring. Now it’s ready to eat! The blend of all these delicious ingredients with a special peanut sauce makes the most unique taste. Crispy rice paper, young banana, star fruit, and other vegetables are the best combination for this food.
Banh Can
Banh can is made of grilled rice flour. There is a special mold made of earthenware, with multiple round holes for baking banh can. The filling contains shrimp, squid, and spring onion. Different cities have different fillings but shrimp and squid are the common food in this coastal city of Mui Ne. Banh can is usually served with sliced green mango, cucumber, and onion.
Grilled Squid Teeth (Rang Muc Nuong)
Do squid have teeth? I like to imagine so, but the answer is no. Actually, the name of this food is the local name of the round and small tip of the squid. This part is often forgotten when cooking this sea animal. However, squid teeth have become the specialty street food of Mui Ne. Over time, local people created a variety of ways to cook squid teeth such as in pie, grilled satay, stew, and more.
The most famous dish is simple grilled squid teeth. Squid teeth are skewered and barbecued on the street side until they turn yellow, smell delicious, and are then ready to eat. Dip it into chili sauce and you won’t believe the flavor.
Grilled Pork Spring Roll (Nem Cha Nuong)
Nem cha nuong includes grilled pork, pork bologna, and cha lui. Cha lui is the grilled rice paper roll of shrimp and pork side, which is a famous food in the central coast area. Local people roll nem cha nuong with rice paper, lettuce, herbs, chives, and dip in sour and spicy fish sauce.
Grilled One Sun Dried Squid (Muc Mot Nang Nuong)
Big squids are washed to reduce the salt water and then dried in the sun. The sunnier it is, the more delicious the squids become. And the best part is, squid is only dried once, so the outside is dry but the inside remains fresh. That’s why it is called one sun-dried squid.
Grilled on a charcoal fire, this is the best way to eat the squid. Its original white color turns yellow and the meat becomes sweet smelling. Now the grilled squid is ready to eat! And again, the chili sauce is the must-have dipping sauce for this dish.
Accommodation In Mui Ne
The fast-growing tourism that entails staying in Mui Ne is also very diverse. Guests can choose from budget homestay to luxury hotels and resorts. The homestay is usually far from the sea and serves mainly young people, foreign groups like new experiences.
The hotel are often located in the nice location, concentrating mainly on Huynh Thuc Khang street extending towards Hon Rom. The hotel in Mui Ne is very much focused mainly on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street.
If you come to Mui Ne for beach holiday, you should choose resorts. This type of accommodation is very diverse, from popular to high-end. Visitors can consider depending on their needs and budget.
