A week in Mui Ne

---

Mui Ne was a little surprise package for me as I discovered it had many faces. Each one diverse from the next.
I did little here besides walk, ride, read, swim, sleep and eat.
The Ocean looked clean and I relished in the chance to have a swim, sink my toes in the sand and smell the salty water. The water is not aqua blue as you may see in the southern beaches in Thailand but the atmosphere is tropical & beachy and uniquely belongs to Vietnam, no where else.
My guest house was right on the waters edge so the constant lapping of waves were ever present morning, noon & night.
As for sight seeing, well you could pretty much do this in one day as the attractions are fairly grouped and around 50km round trip. There are plenty of jeeps and drivers standing by to take you on a tour of the places and most of the prices seemed pretty much the same. We paid $7 each and went in one jeep with a driver.
Anyway,
First stop was the Fairy Stream which, my girlfriends & I had some fun with the name of the place and it's reference to Fairies. It didn't take too long before we decided that the fairies were all the children begging for money along the stream. Inside the stream you are a captive audience and regardless of how they make you feel, they just keep persisting until you give them some money. Which we did, and as long as tourist keep giving, they will keep asking.
The Fairy Stream was a glorious mix of white & red sand, wonderful for photography and unlike anything I had photographed on my entire trip to date. It is close to town and there is no need to hire a guide. Don't be bullied!
"Red Canyon" and the photographs of it show a massive canyon of red sand in which you can explore. When we actually pulled up at the Canyon it was tiny and in Australia we would actually just call this a dried up river bed. Nonetheless the sun was starting to set and the reflection of the sun was bouncing gloriously off the red canyon walls and it was nice to sit and soak up the brilliance of colour.
Red Sand Dunes, not as vast as its rival, The White Sand Dunes but from here you can march to the top and watch the sun sink into the Horizon.
Just some advice here also, The Fairy Stream & the Fishing Village are very much in riding distance by pushbike. You can go on your own and take your time especially if you want to just wander.
The Dunes are further out and accessible by motorbike however you would have to find your way. There are heaps of people offering to take you to the dunes so you could negotiate a price just to see the dunes and do all the others by yourself.
I hired a pushbike for a day and rode to the next fishing village which I really recommend. Along the way there was so much going on that I hopped off numerous times to photograph the area and the village people tending to their day to day activities as they normally would. This is the Vietnam that I want to experience.
Riding past the Clay Pots with the fermented fish inside is a smelly experience and an interesting one also. The fish is fermented for 6 to 12 months inside these pots and the end result if fish sauce. This replaces the salt additive we have on our western table.
I rode past women sorting and sifting rice ready for drying and men de-husking coconuts whilst making the biggest mound of coconut husks I have ever seen.
Further past the fishing village I rode into another little village set away from the main highway where the streets were still dirt. The roads were narrow and the houses grouped together tightly. The local women were outside with there cane brooms sweeping the never ending dust from the road. I was welcomed by most with a smile and a couple of men gave me their stern look which they do anyhow.
A few more stops and photo opportunities later I decided to start the long peddle home. back to the resort, back to the pool and then back to bed. Exhausted!
As I mentioned earlier, Mui Ne is a place of many faces, faces in which I hope I described aptly. I met them all and can only hope that if you do arrive here you see a little more than the tours on offer.

Accommodation mention: Hai Yen
132 Nguyen Dinh Chieu
062 3847890
$10 per night fan room single
recommended

---

Comments

[Mum]

Beautiful read, peaceful place to be
Well written, Min....your next job could be with National Geographic ...love it all...x

[Moana]

Wow......makes me feel like buying a ticket and flying over there. Oneday soon:-)

[Khanh]

Great article!
Thank you so much for writing such nice article for my hometown. It really recalls me my Vietnam and the place I used to live. I hope you always enjoy your life like this optimistic way!