Vietnam: Taking bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne

Date: 28 October 2019

After spending the last few days exploring Ho Chi Minh City and going on day tours outside of the city, I decided to take a break from the city and visit the coastal town of Mui Ne.

An travel agent bus tickets Saigon — I had purchased my bus ticket to Mui Ne from this travel agent near Bui Vien street, which is from where the bus departs

Inside bus to Mui Ne Vietnam — I paid 150,000 VND (₹475/$6.5/€5.2) for the ticket to Mui Ne. Oddly enough, I bought my return ticket from Mui Ne back to Ho Chi Minh City… and paid 130,000 VND for a similar bus -_-

Saigon highway apartment Vietnam — We got on the highway to exit Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon river bridge view Vietnam — This is Saigon river

The journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne is over 4 hours long with a stop in between for a break.

Agriculture land highway Vietnam — We drove past massive farmlands along the way

Farmer house Vietnam — It is pretty evident how big a role agriculture and farming still plays in Vietnam

Although manufacturing is now Vietnam’s biggest industry by revenue, agriculture still employs more people than any other sector (much like India). The country is fast rising as a leading agricultural and seafood producer in the global trade. Vietnam is now the third largest exporter of rice after India (#1) and Thailand (#2). The third largest exporter of prawns (not farmed) behind India (#1) and Ecuador (#2), and famous for being the largest exporter of the pangasius fish (also known as Basa or Dory) — although that species is mostly farmed.

It wasn’t always like this though. Much like every other Communist country, all farmland in Vietnam fell under the control of the state post reunification. Vietnam followed the Soviet-style of collective farming… but just like every other Communist country that tried it — and failed in improving agricultural output and the lives of farmers (heck, even North Korea gave up on it) — the Vietnamese government introduced land reforms under the Doi Moi policies of the late 1980s and handed a lot of land back to farmers. Now, even Vietnam’s corporations are allowed to operate farmlands.

All these reforms resulted in Vietnam now becoming the number one exporter of black pepper and cashewnuts in the world and the second largest exporter of coffee. A pretty impressive feat for a nation that is smaller than India and Brazil!

Rest stop Vietnam bus journey — Half way through the journey, we were allowed a break at a rest stop where we could use the toilet or have some food. I bought some snacks to munch on in the bus.

Public school Vietnam — This was some local school I saw along the highway as we continued our ride

I took some videos as we rode along the highways. So look forward to the vlog from my trip to Mui Ne, which I will update this post with later.

Phan Thiết city vietnam — I was in the city of Phan Thiết — fishing is visibly the main economy here

Mui Ne beach Vietnam — And half an hour later, we had arrived in the town of Mui Ne

Minh Hung hotel Mui Ne Vietnam — The bus dropped passengers off at various stops on the beach road, where all the hotels are. I got off in front of mine — Minh Hung hotel

Room Minh Hung hotel Mui Ne Vietnam — Although this was the room I was initially given, I later changed rooms because the air conditioner wouldn’t work properly

I was given a better AC room and it was fine for the Rs. 1517 ($20/€17) I paid for the two nights I would be spending in Mui Ne. Minh Hung hotel is just a budget hotel that’s close to the sea.

Inside Minh Hung hotel Mui Ne Vietnam — It was clean and not too old. But this place has no restaurant, so don’t expect morning breakfast.

Mui Ne seaside view hotel Vietnam — This is the sea facing view from the hotel. Plenty of restaurants and shops across the road.

Don’t get the wrong idea. There wasn’t a sandy beach in front of my hotel. All I had were shops perched atop a stone boundary wall. If you want to stay at a hotel by the beach side, you are better off staying at the resorts that show photos of their location by the beach.

Mui Ne beach sands Vietnam — The beaches are better to the left of this map than they are on the right

I really didn’t care much for the beaches in Mui Ne. That’s why I wasn’t interested in paying extra to stay at a beachfront property. Mainly for two reasons. One, the beaches are not why I wanted to visit Mui Ne. Yes, it’s a coastal town but what makes Mui Ne unique is that there are massive sand dunes by the coast line here, even though there really isn’t a proper desert in Vietnam. Secondly, the beaches in Mui Ne are not that great (I’ve seen much better). The beaches here in Mui Ne aren’t very big either.

Seafood restaurant Mui Ne Vietnam — I stepped out soon after unpacking because it was already past lunch time

Fish chips Bia Saigon Mui Ne Vietnam — I sat at an eatery that was still open and ordered fish and chips. The fish was fresh and not Basa. I wasn’t going to eat farmed fish in a coastal town like this! With some chilled beer, I was full.

Local grocery store Mui Ne Vietnam — Mui Ne is a sleepy little beach town. Most grocery stores were like this. So don’t expect any large supermarket chains here (yet).

Mui Ne road afternoon Vietnam — I walked down Nguyen Dinh Chieu street which is lined with resorts, spas, restaurants, and other shops

Mughal house Indian restaurant Mui Ne Vietnam — There are a few Indian restaurants in Mui Ne. This one is called Mughal House.

Goa restaurant Mui Ne Vietnam — This is another, called Goa Restaurant & Bar

Jibe's kite school Mui Ne Vietnam — This is a kite surfing school. I wonder what impact COVID-19 must have had on such businesses.

Serenity by the sea Mui Ne Vietnam — Serenity by the Sea is one of those resorts that is right on the beach

Novela resort Mui Ne Vietnam — Novela Resort & Spa is another

Dima tour massage Mui Ne Vietnam — Mui Ne is very popular among Russian tourists and you will find Russian on signages everywhere

Green travel laundry Mui Ne Vietnam — I gave some clothes to this laundry (25,000 VND per kg or ₹75/kg) — and they also happen to sell tours

For tomorrow, I booked a day tour of the Mui Ne sands and Fairy Stream (Suoi Tien) for 300,000 VND (₹950/$13/€10). But I figured I had some time before sunset and decided to hire a bike taxi to take me to Po Shanu Cham Towers a short drive away. It’s an old Hindu temple structure that is still standing — that will be in the next post.

Next post(s) in this series:

Vietnam: Po Shanu Cham Towers, Hindu temple near Mui Ne

Vietnam: Mui Ne Sand Dunes Sunrise Tour – visit to Bao Trang desert (White Sand)

Vietnam: Mui Ne – Red Sand dunes and Fishing Village

Vietnam: Mui Ne’s Fairy Stream (Suoi Tien)

Vietnam: Leaving Mui Ne, returning to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam: Tan Dinh Market and Pink Church; night ride to District 7, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam: Views from Bitexco Financial Tower observation deck

Vietnam: Saying goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City

Previous posts in this series:

Vietnam: Nguyen Hue Street and Saigon Riverwalk

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street, Opera House