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Mui Ne white sands early morning Vietnam

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

Date: 29 October 2019

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.

Mui Ne early morning drive
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
Mui Ne Vietnam petrol pump
We filled up fuel first before heading out to the sands
Dawn sea Mui Ne Vietnam
We were supposed to be at the white sands for the sunrise… but I could see the sun already creeping up in the distance
Drive to Mui Ne white sands Vietnam
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.

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Cham tower Hindu temple Vietnam

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

Date: 28 October 2019

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).

Mui Ne highway sunset Vietnam
I sat on the back of the bike and did my best to photograph and take videos as we drove
Mui Ne beach sunset drive Vietnam
This looked like a nice spot and I decided to stop by on the way back
Mui Ne drive highway Vietnam
We were on what looked like a brand new highway
Property development Mui Ne Vietnam
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.

Champa Po Sah Inu tickets Mui Ne
Entry tickets cost 15,000 VND (₹45/$0.65/€0.50). Timings are from 6:45am to 5:30pm.
Champa temple Po Sah Inu Vietnam
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.

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Inside bus to Mui Ne Vietnam

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.

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