Phan Thiet lies midway between Saigon and Nha Trang, on the highway that links Saigon with Hanoi. For this reason this town used to be an overnight stop for people traveling around Vietnam. The city of Phan Thiet is a very relaxed place, but the gem of the area is Mui Ne. The Cape of Mui Ne stretches almost 20 miles into the South China Sea. A few years ago, it used to be a dangerous place, where only fishermen lived. But since, 1995, when an European couple opened the first resort in the area, Mui Ne has done nothing but attract tourists. A new complex is opened here every month. The area offers the great long beach you see in the picture, a very relaxed mood, good sea food restaurants, golf courses, unexplored pagodas, desert dunes, and fabulous sunsets. If you are traveling around Vietnam, I recommend a two-three day stop in Mui Ne. Unless you want to party forget about Nha Trang!
Mui Ne Beach is 16 km long, and a beautiful beach surrounded by groves of palm trees and miles of red and golden sand dunes. The temperature is perfect at an average of 30 degrees Celcius. Mui Ne also has the lowest rainfall in all of Vietnam, making it a great beach (or perhaps the only beach) to visit even during rainy season. Mui Ne has the best conditions in all of Asia for water sports. Mui Ne has Asia's strongest and most consistent cross-onshore winds. Vietnam has two wind seasons, the North East Monsoon Season and the South West Summer Season. The North East Monsoon Season starts around November and runs until April. The windiest months are December through February. The wind is a constant 20 - 25 knots, with some days up to 40 knots. As the wind increases so do the waves. There is a one-meter beach break to practice your surfing skills. The South Western Summer wind blows from May to October and is a consistent 12 - 18 knots, with some days up to 25 knots. During the summer months there is a ground swell up to two meters. Mui Ne is quickly becoming known as the kiteboarding and windsurfing capitol of Vietnam. Likewise, neighboring Phan Thiet has one of the finest golf courses in the country. Development continues on a number of new and exciting venues for the area as well. Mui Ne is a relatively new community. Phan Thiet is said to be less than 100 years old. In contrast, much of the resort areas of Mui Ne are less than 5 years old. Mui Ne is relatively "undiscovered" and is much more relaxed than other costal areas in Vietnam, and perhaps the friendliest. However you spend your vacation, you will find it to be one of the most relaxing yet memorable yet. Come to the friendliest beach in Vietnam.
From Ho Chi Minh City, travel East for 198 kilometers on Highway 1 to the city of Phan Thiet. Then take Route 706 East for another 22 kilometers to Mui Ne Beach (Ham Tien Ward). Mui Ne Beach and Phan Thiet may be easily reached by car or bus and is a minimum 3 hour ride. Nha Trang is about 5 hours away, and Da lat is 3-5 hours depending upon the highways taken. All major tour operators visit Mui Ne.There is no local airport.
Currency Used in Mui Ne There are no ATM's in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, or anywhere in Binh Thuan Province. Banks can issue cash advances on credit cards (Visa and Mastercard). The Banks in Mui Ne (the Industrial and Commerical Bank is next to the Tropico Resort and the other bank is near the Swiss Village Resort) are usually closed Saturday and Sunday. The Industrial and Commercial Bank in Phan Thiet (261 Tran Hung Dao St.) may be open Saturday Mornings. Banks close at 4 or 5 pm. This means that if you arrive in Mui Ne on a Friday, well it sucks to be you. Actually, tour offices like Hanh Cafe can give cash advances for higher rates. The America Dollars are generally accepted in Mui Ne, but you usually get a better bargain using Vietnam Dong.
Post Offices in Mui Ne There is a small post office in Mui Ne, east of the Ham Tien Market. You are probably better to go to the large post office on Nguyen Tat Thanh St. in Phan Thiet. It is probably easier to send than receive. Packages received in Vietnam are highly taxed, regardless of the method they are shipped. Fedex is the most "reliable" and fastest method but still leaves a lot to be desired. Fedex will often drop off packages with neighbors or leave them at the provincial post office, rather than the specified address. If you use the postal service to send or receive, your package will be opened and thoroughly inspected. In Vietnam, the post office handles the phone systems, and all public phones are available there. Internet cafes now offer overseas calls as well.
Medical in Mui Ne There are small pharmacies and clinic in Mui Ne. The nearest hospital is in Phan Thiet, which is about 20 minutes from Mui Ne. Keep in mind, the further away you go to play, the further you are from medical facilities. There are no medical airlifts or speedboats. For serious procedures, you may want to head to Saigon which is 3-4 hours away. You can purchase just about any medical supplies you could need it Phan Thiet.
What to Bring The larger-sized cloths may not be found at in the market therefore it is best to bring enough cloths with you, or have them tailor-made here. The electronic gadgets, battery chargers, laptop equipment. There are not a lot of shops for this in neighboring Phan Thiet. The DVDs and Audio CD's. There are not many shops in Phan Thiet (there are a few though), that sell foreign digital media (except in VCD format). The reading material. Only a few shops in Mui Ne have a very limited selection of foreign reading material. The sun protection can be bought here but you should have it ready from the time you get off the bus.
Caution in Mui Ne Mui Ne is otherwise a very safe beach for water sports. However, some other out of the way beaches in this province, that are being recommended by certain tour companies, are not safe for certain types of activity. An area near Khe Ga island is reported to be mined. Visitors should also not wander in the bush or canyons at the abondoned airstrip (the LZ Betty) on the way to Khe Ga, as it is known to contain unexploded ordnances and quicksand. Ganh Beach (near Mui Ne Village) has notoriously strong rip currents.
