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The second stop of my whistle stop tour of Vietnam is Mui Ne. 

Journey

We organised the bus journey with our hostel. We were picked up at 7:30 by a mini bus and taken to our bus. We were booked on a sleeper bus. From travel blogs, I haven't always heard the best things about the sleeper buses. However, I found it them to be okay- in fact comfier than normal buses. The only issue is they are made to fit the general height of the Asian population which is smaller than the average Western especially males. I was fine due to only being 5.5 but I could see it being a real issue for tall people. Many encourage trying to get a back seat however there are no boundaries or bag compartments so there is no easy way to do this. Plus, if you are travelling in a busy period you will not have such a choice as to be able to pick and choose which seat you have. 

We arrived in Mui Ne in good time and the bus even dropped us off at our hostel- RESULT!

Sand Dunes Extravaganza 

On the reviews for our hostel, the tour they offer for the and dunes was said to be really good. So we thought we would give it a go. For the $4 you pay, you basically get a driver to take you to all the places. The places themselves are pretty self explanatory but still it would have been nice to know a little bit more. Just to make you aware, they pack you in to the van like sardines. If you can, try and get the front seat next to the driver. 

Fairy Stream 

This is a bit of a non-stop. It is a trickle of water that looks dirty due to the red canyons. It is one of the only points that the dunes/canyons has water. At the end of the walk you can see where it transitions from blue/green to brown. 

When we first arrived, the local people attempted to charge us to get in. We refused and waited outside until they let us in for free. I am now very used to contesting prices because it has happened so frequently whilst we have been travelling Asia unfortunately. 

On the walk, there is also the opportunity to ride an ostrich if that interests you. The ostriches are kept in a small play pen and honestly look vicious. I did not like the idea of getting on one at all. 

The end of the walk, is a bit of an anti climax. However, it's the only the first stop and the best is yet to come. 

Be aware, stick to the driver's timings because a girl in our group didn't and he replaced her with someone else from a different group in our hostel. 

Mui Ne Fishing Village 

So whilst still being in shock that our driver had ditched and replaced a member of the group, we arrived at the Mui Ne Fishing Village. Honestly, you can get an alright picture but you don't get to go down and explore because you only have about 10 minutes here...or our driver just had somewhere to be so wanted to hurry us along!

White Sand Dunes

This in my opinion, is the main event. Despite being told beforehand, I was not impressed at having to pay extra to get in to the sand dunes. I mean what we paid was the equivalent of about 40p but still. When you arrive you are given the choice of getting a quad bike. Be aware that the driver of your car will probably get commission for the one you go to and it may not necessarily be the cheapest. 

The dunes and the Lotus Lake are beautiful. You can get some amazing pictures here and I think it's what makes Mui Ne different. Honestly, without it there is not a terrible lot to see here. 

Red Sand Dunes

In comparison to the white sand dunes, the red do not seem as spectacular. There are also significantly more people which takes away from the beauty of the dunes. Especially because at the others you almost feel secluded. There are also several children attempting to sell you turns on their 'sleds'. I say 'sleds' because they are a piece of card. I wish I was exaggerating. We were supposed to stay here till sunset however the driver got restless... 

I would definitely recommend doing the trip because the White Sand Dunes are so worth it.

Backpacker Village 

The swimming pool at the Backpacker Village is a great way to spend lazy mornings or afternoons. For a hostel, the pool is on another level...why aren't all swimming pools infinity pools!? The accompanying bar along with its two happy hours, definitely helps. Although, for hostel guests anyone could use the pool and I would recommend you do! Especially because the beach is not the greatest. 

Bon Bo

This is the restaurant with the tanks of live fish outside where prices for noodle and rice dishes start at 50 dong. I say this because there is another on the same street but this is considerably more expensive. I had heard that the sea food was good here, so thought it was rude to not try it. Although good, the food was a bit bland and it was a god send that there was soy sauce and chilli sauce on the table. Beers here are also cheap at 10 dong a pop for a decent sized bottle. Although it didn't happen to us, keep an eye on your bill because I saw many people dispute theirs.  

Mystery Restaurant 

This restaurant is next to Mui Ne Backpackers Resort. It is off the road a bit on the beach side. It is very popular with locals and we were actually the only Western people in there. I call it the mystery restaurant because I cannot remember it's name. I know, I am awful before you say anything! We got some spring rolls and vegetable noodles. The noodles were good but the spring rolls were a bit on the greasy side. I would definitely recommend checking it out though! 

Love Imogen xoxo