Why do Russians love and hate Mui Ne so much? Read our review! Pros and cons of vacation in Mui Ne in 2021, prices for hotels, food and entertainment, top attractions, the whole truth about the beaches and the resort.
Holidays in Mui Ne: what to expect from the resort
What the resort looks like... If you are going on vacation in Mui Ne for the first time, it is important to know: Mui Ne is a fishing village on the cape, where the locals live. There are almost no tourists there. Phan Thiet is a large city. But when they say that they are going to rest in Mui Ne, they mean a many kilometers of beach area between the fishing village and Phan Thiet. Its length is about 20 km. There is only one street along the coast, covered, like with shellfish, hotels and resorts, bokeh and restaurants, pharmacies and souvenir shops. This is where tourists live. In general, this is not a promoted resort with neat green streets, but a tourist zone cluttered with advertisements and signs. Don't expect too much.
Tourists' opinions about Mui Ne... As in the case of Nha Trang, we put off visiting the resort for a long time due to the prevailing stereotype that this is a Russian ghetto. Reviews of tourists about their vacation in Mui Ne are contradictory: from enthusiastic to devastating. We suspected the first of pursuing advertising goals. These reviews were either paid for by hotels / travel agencies, or the people who wrote them lived in isolation in a good resort and did not leave it - they paint too rosy a picture of rest at the resort. The latter are usually due to a personal unpleasant story (robbed, deceived) or overestimated expectations.
Why did we decide to visit Mui Ne? Here are some reasons:
- The main one is the sights, namely the dunes. I love the desert and space landscapes.
- It was terribly interesting why the village is so stigmatized on the Internet and whether everything is so bad in reality - after all, Nha Trang turned out to be different from what they said.
- I wanted to close the gestalt, because we have visited almost all corners of Vietnam, and this village has not yet been honored with a visit.
Weather in Mui Ne
We rested at the resort for only five days in January. Rains were predicted, but it was just cloudy. At first I was upset - how can I take beautiful photos of the famous red and white dunes in this weather? Then I realized that we were extremely lucky with the weather: we would not have known all the charm of the Fairy Creek and dunes under the scorching sun.
So, about the weather... Thanks to the sand dunes, its own microclimate has been formed. There are no sudden cold snaps, heavy rains and flood storms. The rainy season is from June to October, but the showers are mainly in the evening and for a short time. On average, the air temperature is + 30 ° С, in winter it is about + 27 ° С. The water temperature in summer is + 27 ... + 29 ° С, and in winter it is about + 24 ° С. May and April are the hottest. Holidays for the New Year are popular.
We read in tourist reviews about the weather in Mui Ne and Phan Thiet that in winter, due to the winds, it is cool in the evenings. This is true, especially if you ride a bike in the evening. I was freezing and put on jeans and a shirt.
Find out: What is the weather in winter in Vietnam >>
What are the prices in Mui Ne in 2021
Prices for food in a cafe
Exchange rate: 10,000 Vietnamese dong (VND) ≈ 32 RUB.
We came here after Fukuoka where the prices in the cafe were greatly overpriced. Mui Ne seemed like heaven to us in terms of food - everything was so cheap! In general, the prices in the cafe are about the same as in Nha Trang.
Here are the food prices using the example of the bokeh (seafood restaurant) Bo Ke Tho, where we had dinner every night and tried almost the entire range:
| Dish | Qty. | Price |
| Grilled scallops | 15 pcs | 50,000 VND |
| Fried or stewed shark | 1 PC | 220,000 VND |
| Snake | 1 PC | 1,500,000 VND |
| Fried frogs | Some | 120,000 VND |
| Grilled oysters | 1 kg | 120,000 VND |
| Crocodile steak | 1 serving | 150,000 VND |
| Ostrich steak | 1 serving | 200,000 VND |
| Fried red snapper | 1 PC | 200,000 VND |
| Fried or stewed turtle | 1 PC | 300,000 VND |
| Grilled eel | 1 PC | 220,000 VND |
| Squid | 70,000-150,000 VND | |
| Tiger chrimp | 10 pieces | 120,000 VND |
| Lobster | 1 kg | 1,200,000 VND |
| Rice with seafood | A portion | 60,000 VND |
Prices for hotels in Mui Ne - 2021
We checked into a cheap guesthouse Quoc Dinh with excellent reviews for $ 13 per night. The room was simple, but we only spent the night in it. The guest house has a friendly hostess and very cheap breakfasts. But the most important thing is the location! On the outskirts of the tourist zone, almost at the very fishing village. We were happy to live not in the Russian ghetto, but on the outskirts: quiet, low prices, no collective farm signs in Russian and karaoke. We advise you to settle in the area.
In Mui Ne, hotel prices are slightly higher than in Nha Trang. Inexpensive guesthouse - $ 9 per night for a double room. 3 * hotel - from $ 13 per day, 4 * - from $ 30, 5 * - from $ 90. If you are traveling in high season, book in advance and always read tourist reviews.
Helpful. During New Years and Vietnamese New Years (Tet) hotel prices go up, book in advance.
Prices for excursions in Mui Ne - 2021
The range of prices for excursions in Mui Ne is large - compare different agencies and conditions. On average, $ 25 per person. Here are some examples:
- tour to Dalat for 1 day - $ 30;
- tour to Ho Chi Minh City - $ 60;
- Mount Taku - $ 25;
- dunes and Red Canyon - $ 10.
Tourists are advised to take excursions at street travel agencies (almost everywhere there are Russian-speaking guides) - more interesting and cheaper. Do not believe the horror stories and intimidation of your tour operator and do not buy expensive excursions. Better yet, grab a bike (VND 130,000) if you know how to drive and arrange a tour yourself.
Interested in shopping? There are no large shops and shopping centers - they are only in Phan Thiet. There are many small shops that mainly sell souvenirs. What to bring from Vietnam →
What to see in Mui Ne
During our vacation in Mui Ne, we visited several attractions:
Red dunes... They are rather orange or yellow-red, depending on the lighting. Tourists huddle on a few nearby dunes and mostly slide down on pieces of plastic. We went much further, where there was no one. There was a feeling of complete isolation and calmness. It is best to visit at sunset and cloudy weather. It's very stuffy during the day.
White dunes. A very picturesque place, but tourists are more active here than on the red dunes - they ride ATVs, jeeps and pieces of plastic. Therefore, there is noise and din. Again, we got away from people - it was wonderful. Sightseeing buses arrive at sunset. There are several lakes near the dunes. It seems that during the rainy season one of them is covered with blooming lotuses.
Fairy Stream (Red Stream). Fairy Stream is unexpectedly a very impressive attraction! The landscapes are breathtaking, the place is spiritual. We climbed the sand into different gorges and looked at the stream from above, and also launched a drone - it's so beautiful there. We spent a total of 4 hours in this place. You can get there both from the village and from the side of the highway to Phan Thiet. The second entrance is good because it is clean, there are few tourists, the entrance is free, and the beauty of the places is growing gradually. Parking - 5 thousand VND.
