After arriving in Mui Ne yesterday and making the most of the day by visiting the Champa temple complex, I woke up very early in the morning for my tour of Mui Ne’s famous white and red sand dunes. I booked my tour locally for VND 300,0000 (₹950/$13/€10) but you have plenty of options from online platforms like Viator. Most tourists do the sunrise tour but you also have sunset tours.
I was picked up at 4:30am from my hotel and the SUV that picked us up, would go around picking up the other guests
We filled up fuel first before heading out to the sands
We were supposed to be at the white sands for the sunrise… but I could see the sun already creeping up in the distance
It took about 45 minutes to reach Bao Trang desert, which is the white sand dunes
Once we arrived at the White Sands parking area, each of us were divided individually and seated on ATV quad bikes.
As news broke about the ‘Phuket Sandbox‘ experiment starting in July, I couldn’t help but be envious of the privileged few who could fly into the famous Thai island for a vacation. Sure, right now, there’s a quarantine process to follow but if the experiment proves to be successful, the authorities could loosen up the quarantine requirements and open up more destinations in the country (Koh Samui is next) based on increased vaccination coverage and declining cases in each province or island.
Being holed up indoors for what is now going to be two years, with more time spent in front of a laptop than looking away from a screen, I sure could use a Thailand vacation! Not that I wasn’t glad to be with my parents during a crisis, but for someone who enjoys exploring new destinations, trying out new experiences, tasting different kinds of foods… home isn’t where the heart was after having gone through lockdown after lockdown. I wanted to get out there again!
#AmazingThailand
I missed being in cities like Bangkok, which offered the world on your platter, from amazing street food to every international cuisine you could think of.
From all the deep fried goodies at night market stalls
To sipping on piping hot Tom Yung Goong (one of my favourites!)
Heck, I even miss Thai Airways’ in-flight meals! 🙁
Its amazing night markets… from discovering hip new stores selling fashionable clothing at Chatuchak weekend market…
I arrived in the coastal town of Mui Ne in the afternoon. Mui Ne is located just outside Phan Thiết city. It’s a sleepy little resort town but Mui Ne is getting more popular on the Vietnam tourism trail, largely thanks to its unique attractions. I had booked a tour to see the sand dunes tomorrow but today, before the sun set, I decided to make the most of my time and visit a the Po Shanu Cham Towers.
I hailed a Grab bike taxi and negotiated with the driver, who agreed to take me there, wait and drive me back to Mui Ne for 70,000 VND (₹220/$3/€2.5).
I sat on the back of the bike and did my best to photograph and take videos as we drove
This looked like a nice spot and I decided to stop by on the way back
We were on what looked like a brand new highway
A lot of new property developments coming up in Mui Ne
It really looks like Mui Ne only recently developed as a major tourism destination. I saw a lot of construction activity in Mui Ne along the coastline — new hotels, resorts, and housing projects.
The ride to Ba Nai Hill, where the Cham towers are situated, took less than 15 minutes. Once we arrived, I had to pay for parking.
Entry tickets cost 15,000 VND (₹45/$0.65/€0.50). Timings are from 6:45am to 5:30pm.
A map at the entrance
There are three towers still standing and the place is also referred to as the Champa temple complex because the towers house symbols of Hinduism — Yoni & Lingam in one, a Nandi bull statue in another, and Agni (fire god) in the third.
