Tired and exhausted after our three days in the Mekong Delta we had two hours to get fed and watered before getting the bus to Mui Ne.

Mui Ne is one of Vietnam’s hottest beach destinations. The beach was pretty nice with loads of water sports to choose from, but being on a budget and only having one and a half days in Mui Ne we didn’t partake in any activities. Instead we spent the first day chilling on the beach and in my case wondering around the small town and the second day at Mui Ne’s prime tourist attraction its spectacular sand dunes.

The day we left Mui New arose at 6am ready for our early morning trip to the dunes at 7am. For once there was just us on the trip and we were picked up outside our hotel in a four wheel drive.

We were driven first to the yellow sand as we approached we stopped on the roadside overlooking a lake with the sand due rising above it. The water was blue, the dune yellow and the sky blue – the scene in front of me didn’t look real.

Driving on we parked in a (sandy) car park stopped at a café for a plate of chips for breakfast (it was better than rice and noodles) and made our way onto the yellow sand due. Walking about five minutes from the bottom of the dune we were soon surrounded by a yellow expanse of sand marked occasionally by footprints of people who’d explored the due before us. It was a stunning sight to behold and something I would only expect to see in the middle of the desert; not 20 minutes from a beach resort in Vietnam.

Walking across the dune I was surprised at how firm the sand was. I’d expected the surface sand to be a lot looser and to be sinking into it the way you do with much smaller English dunes. But the sand was mostly firm and rippled by the wind as it blew gently over the surface.

We claimbed to the top of the nearest dune marveling at the scene around us and posing for photos along the way. The expanse of sand was that large you were able to walk over sand untouched by another human footprint – it was simply amazing.

At the top of the dune we negotiated a price with two kids who’d been following us since we left the car park for a go at sand sledging. They’d followed us for the last half hour with plastic mats we could slide down the dunes on. We negotiated a decent price, posed for a few pictures and were off – or so I thought! Being a fully grown adult it wasn’t easy to get any speed up despite the best efforts of the kids to push us over the edge. On my first go I positioned my body far too far forward on the mat so instead of sliding down the dune my upper body just burrowed itself into the dune! I dug myself out and made my way to the top for another go, this time successfully making it to the bottom. The sliding was fun but not the adrenaline rush I’d anticipated and walking back to the top wasn’t so appealing. After the third run down we had sand in every conceivable orifice and had had enough of sand sledging. It was time to brush off some of the sand and head back to the four by four and our next stop of the day.

We drove along a beautiful coastal road for about 20minutes before the driver pulled over on the side of the road where a load of kids were hanging around selling postcards and shouting: “I’ll be your guide.” The driver motioned for us to make our way up a red sandy track beside the kids saying we’d arrived at the Red Canyon.

We shrugged off the offers of a guide and walked up a hill with compressed deep red sand beneath our feet. At the top of the hill we came to a bit of a clearing where red sandy cliffs jutted into our path. I began walking between the red cliffs climbing them where I could and being incredibly surprised at how soft the sand was. The whole area was spectacular – unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Emily and I made our way to the top of the Canyon where we were able to stand on top of the cliffs looking down into the red sandy crevices below. From the top we could see the red sandy canyon surrounded by lush green undergrowth framed with the different blues of the sea and sky, the scene was breathtaking – well worth the five minute climb to the top.

Next we stopped at the pink sand dune. This was equally spectacular but much the same as the yellow sand dune – the only difference being the colour of the sand. We wondered around for a bit taking pictures still in awe of the landscape that surrounded us.

Covered in sand we were taken to a nearby fishing village where we were given a little time to wonder around and watch the locals bringing in the catch. Small round fishing boats called cops brought basket after basket of fish to shore. At one end of the beach fish were being laid out in the sun to dry giving off a fairly pungent smell. Nearby two women couched over a basket of fish pulling off their heads with their fingers, discarding it on the floor and adding the fish body to a basket.

The final stop of the day was the Fairy Stream. I’m not sure how the fairy stream got it’s name we think possibly because of the small white flowers dotted along the stream. The Fairy stream was a red coloured stream running over sand and the only way along it was walking through the water. As soon as we began walking three young boys followed us telling us where to walk and which bits were deep. By the time we’d arrived at the Fairy Stream we were already running out of time with our driver and didn’t make it to the end before we had to turn around and head back to the car. This is when the boys who’d been following us decided to ask for money for their services – something they weren’t going to get because we’d left all our money in the four by four.ggg

Having had an early star we were back at our hotel by 11am enough time to shower – (I’ve never seen that much sand dislodge from my hair!) – and grab something to eat before getting the bus to Nah Trang.

* Posted by j150vsc on 08/09/2007.