Mui Ne

Its only a 5 hour journey from Nha Trang to Mui Ne but they are world's apart. From the big bustling town/city to a small seaside town. Mui Ne was almost devoid of life when i arrived but this is more to do with the layout of the place. The town is spread along the beach which stretches for miles so everything is really far apart rather than stuck in one area like most places. I had gone online previously to scout places as the town was only briefly mentioned in my guidebook. I found a place called 'Vietnam Austria House' which got some solid reviews and it is run by an Aussie guy. Usually if you can find a place run by westerners they are better than locals. It was pretty cheap and had the basics so it was perfect in that sense. It had a dorm and was literally on the beach so i couldnt complain. It only took me a few minutes to drop my gear and head for a dip and lounge about on the beach. Back in the room i meet a guy called Reynier (think Wolfcastle) who is Dutch and the two of us go in search of some grub and a few beers. We didnt find much in the way of nightlife but we did find a place called Joe's that claims to have been open 24/7 since it opened in 2008. Considering how quiet Mui Ne seems in low season it struck me as mad to have a 24 hour bar/cafe. But we had a few beers (happy hour) and were treated to some live music by a Filipino guy with a guitar. He mostly played Beatles stuff but he was quite good, bantering with the crowd and even sang a song in Hebrew for some Israelis who came in. After we got back to the hostel i sat on the beach and stared at the clear sky, first time in a long time i had seen stars properly and watched the boats as they crossed the bay. It was quite a beautiful scene.

The next morning myself and Reynier booked onto a tour of the sights of Mui Ne. This doesnt leave till the afternoon so i lounge about on the beach again. Then at around 3 we jump aboard a jeep with 3 english girls and head off on our tour. It starts off with a 'fairy stream' which is a small stream that runs red because of the rock it passes through. Next up is the fishing village which we take some quick pics and head off but the highlights are of course the sand dunes. The white sand dunes were good fun as you momentarily think you are in a small desert as you look around and all you can see for miles is white sand. You can also rent a 'sled' and slide down the steeper dunes. This is good fun but the 'sleds' are basically pieces of lino so not quite what we were expecting. Beside these dunes is a pretty lake with lots of lotus flowers on it where we tried to wash off some of the sand that we were all covered in from the sledding. Going in between all these stops we took a jeep that was quite bone rattling especially as we went over some rough terrain. We finished the day off at the red sand dunes for sunset. Sadly it was cloudy so we didnt quite get the view we had anticipated. By this stage my camera is in trouble as sand has gotten into the lens which meant i could no longer zoom. Pretty crap but i could still take some pics so it wasnt too bad.

My second and last night in Mui Ne was good craic. There was a group of about 8 of us who went from the hostel for food and beer. All guys and each of us from a different country. Ireland, France, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Poland and Holland. Our own little UN. We had a great laugh and a few drinks with some pool thrown in for good measure. Midway through the night a monsoon swept in and put the main street under a foot of water so we were "trapped" in the bar. A terrible fate im sure you'll agree. So Mui Ne was nice but quiet and i had already spent more time than anticipated in Vietnam so it was time to move on to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now known.