Have you ever thought about finding sand dunes in Vietnam? Yes, SAND DUNES!!!
On the southern coastline of Vietnam, 198 kilometers away from Ho Chi Minh City to the northeast, there’s a village called Mui Ne. It belongs to Phan Thiet city, Binh Thuan province, a province renowned for dragon fruit. Mui Ne has become a favorite destination for many Saigonese to spend a getaway weekend from the hustle and bustle of the city and get out into nature. International travelers have also explored Mui Ne for themselves thanks to the town’s long stretches of beautiful beaches, the abundance of delicious fresh seafood, the two romantic lakes of Bau Trang as well as the immense sand dunes.
There are two sand dunes scattered throughout the whole region, making Mui Ne a rather a colorful stop in your Vietnam itinerary. The two most impressive are the White and Red Sand Dunes. Both areas are like miniature deserts and offer a completely different images ò the otherwise lush, green Vietnam. Take some time to explore both spots, try to climb to the top of the dunes and hire a quad bike to drive around.
1.The Red Sand Dunes
The red sand dunes stretch along the sand strip of Binh Thuan. The scenery here is painted with a red pink color under the influence of monsoon seasons all year round. Come early in the morning to catch the sunrise or in the afternoon to see the sunset. The red sand dunes are also an interesting place for people watching as you see local women renting sleds for you to sand board from the sand dunes. What is more amazing than climbing to the top of hill, and then sitting on a thin plank to freely slide down to the hill’s food. This will bring tourists a feeling as if they were flying. The higher sand hills are, the more amazing you feel.
Experiencing in red sand dunes is one of the most unforgettable memories in Mui Ne. Coming to red sand dunes, tourists have a chance to admire this natural wonder which changes day by day and hour by hour in the harmony with beautiful sunlight. The color of sand changes constantly from yellow to white, pink and red, depending on the sunlight.
There’s also a lot of people selling food, especially the local cake you should give a try after exploring the red sand dunes.
In order to get to the dunes, you can easily do sunrise and sunset tours by bus or jeep. You can make a tour at your hotel reception and can be as cheap as $5 or check out the tour offered by The Sinh Tourist. It will be an adventure to visit these dunes by renting a motorbike with the price of as little as $6 per day.
Red Sand Dunes, 706B Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam.
2.The White Sand Dunes of Mui Ne
While the red sand dunes are just a few minutes’ drive from the city and can even reached by bicycle if you don’t want to get a scooter, the white sand dunes are bit further out. The white sand dunes are the most popular attraction in Mui Ne. Since the white sand dunes cover a larger area than the red dunes, it’ll be easier to find a spot for yourself and you can also get some great photos without too many people in them. You can walk around, snap over a hundred pictures, and enjoy the several lakes and swamps found right in the middle of this desert.
Finding the white sand dunes is quite easy – but be ready for a 30-kilomere trip. Start by following the main highway along the coast north of Mui Ne. The road passes large cream colored sand hills then leaves the coast to pass through low red hills, winding, but always continuing generally north. Drivers should not turn off the main road as the road approaches a wide lake and sprawling a village at an ‘eco-tourisms’ site.
Tours usually are run in jeeps with four people, but are available as solo tours on motorbikes. With the distance and heat, the jeep is the better option. Tours run twice a day, at sunrise and sunset. The morning tour, which departs around 4.30 am, is far preferable, as you won’t arrive at the first destination in the heat of the day.
Undoubtedly, coming in the early morning or late afternoon is the best as you’ll get good lighting and be able to enjoy the view of the sun rising or setting right on the water. When you get there, you can rent a quad bike or go zipping around over the white sand dunes, either by yourself or with a tour guide. During the day, riding a quad bike is a great experience since the dunes offer copious amounts of open space to let loose and go crazy. You can hire a quad with the price of about VND 400,000 for 20 minutes, but the price can be bargained.
There are quite a few small stands selling food and drinks to visitors within the area along the pine trees offering much-needed shade.
White Sand Dunes, Hoa Thang, Bac Binh District, Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam.
You must be fantastic after reading about the article on the white and red sand dunes in Mui Ne. It will be a good reason to make Mui Ne of your destinations in Vietnam.