Girl kicking sand desert Vietnam

Vietnam: Mui Ne – Red Sand dunes and Fishing Village

Date: 29 October 2019

I was on my tour of Mui Ne’s famous sand dunes as part of an organized group tour. We began the tour catching the sunrise at the White Sands. Next up was the Red Sands.

Mui Ne road sand dunes Vietnam
From the White Sand dunes to the Red Sand dunes, it’s a 25 minute ride
Mui Ne red sands in the distance
Along the way, you even get a glimpse of one end of the Red Sand dunes
Mui Ne coastal highway Vietnam
We drove along some nice coastal stretches

Mui Ne is a great place to rent your own bike or car and go for a cruise. I chose not to because I didn’t wish to deal with driving in a rush to get to the sand dunes on my own to catch the sunrise. As it is I barely got any sleep. Also, when you get to the sand dunes, it’s not like you can ride any regular scooter or car on the dunes. You either need a dirt bike or an ATV. So it’s just more convenient to do this via an organized tour, of which there are many options.

Highway Mui Ne Vietnam
The parking area to the red sands is right along the highway, on the left side
Mui Ne red sand dunes Vietnam
Our SUV was parked on one side and we just crossed the road to enter the Red Sands
Mui Ne red sand desert Vietnam
We could spend around 30 minutes here
Red sand desert panorama Mui Ne
We could climb up ourselves without the need for an ATV
Girl posing desert Mui Ne Vietnam
Some were busy getting their Instagram shots
Girl kicking sand desert Vietnam
Others were just playing around
Red sand desert Mui Ne Vietnam
I just took some photos… ‘cos there really wasn’t much else to do out here
Đồi Hồng Mui Ne Vietnam
From the Red Sand dunes, you can clearly see how close the sea is
Shops near red sand dunes Vietnam
There are shops, restaurants with toilets right across the dunes
Road to Mui Ne red sand-dunes
Considering there was little else to see or do, I walked back to our SUV

After we regrouped, our jeep took us to the next stop on our day tour — a fishing village.

Getting to fishing village Vietnam
I wondered why a fish harbour would be on the tourist trail in Mui Ne
Ladies steps fishing beach Vietnam
But it seem like an interesting location for photography

Not that such places are new to someone whose hometown is right by the sea. Here’s what one of the fishing harbours looks like in Kannur, Kerala — where I’m from.

Lots of fishing boats Vietnam
But it was fascinating to see Vietnam’s signature Bamboo boats alongside the fishing trawler boats
Basket boats Mui Ne Vietnam
I really wonder how safe these non-motorized ‘tubs’ are given how easy they would drift away in strong waves
Bags of seafood fishing village Vietnam
Seafood was being sold by the bagfuls
Fresh lobster Mui Ne Vietnam
Fresh lobsters
Canopy sleeping dog beach Vietnam
Looks like everyone was ready for a nap
Puppy sleeping beach sand
Including puppies
Dead seafood beach sand Vietnam
What didn’t get sold dies on the shores
Fishing village Mui Ne panorama
It’s like much of the market buzz was already over by the time we arrived

I’m guessing the fishing is done at night or at dawn, then the boats bring the catch early in the morning and wrap up business before the scorching sun ruins the fish.

Bamboo fishing boats Vietnam
I swapped my wide angle for zoom lens and zooming in, I could see these bamboo boats do use motors… that can be attached?
Steps fishing beach Mui Ne Vietnam
It was time go back up to where our jeep was
Hundreds of fishing boats sea
I would say this fishing village is definitely a good stop for photography
Mui Ne fishing village houses
There’s not much else here but I guess you might get some good seafood at the restaurants at the top

After we re-grouped, we drove off to the final stop on the tour — the ‘Fairy Stream’. Why is it called that? Well, you’ll see in the next post.

Check out my vlog about the Mui Ne Sand dunes sunrise tour:

Next posts in this series:

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

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

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

Vietnam: Nguyen Hue Street and Saigon Riverwalk

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

Vietnam: Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office

Vietnam: Cao Dai temple in Tây Ninh

Vietnam: Coconut sweet making factory, Bến Tre

Vietnam: Bến Tre canal boat ride, Tien River (part of Mekong Delta tour)

Vietnam: Vinh Trang Pagoda in Bến Lức

Vietnam: Bui Vien Street — Ho Chi Minh City’s nightlife area (for tourists)

Vietnam: War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam: Independence Palace and Norodom Palace Exhibit

Vietnam: Ben Thanh Market and Mariamman Hindu Temple, Ho Chi Minh City

Flying from Phuket to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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