M´i Né offers a glimpse into Vietnam’s most surprising terrain—its desert. The canyons of red clay and the dunes of orange and white sand that are so insanely, hilariously unique in this country flooded with rainforests, mountains, and aqua-blue water make M´i Né a must-see. But the gorgeous beach is what really draws the tourists in. Located on a peninsula 19km east of Phan Thi€t, this small fishing village is, simply, gorgeous. The subject of a thousand postcards, M´i Né is a tropical paradise. Sparkling and playful waves crash along fine white-sand beaches, all under the gentle shade of swaying coconut palms. Over the past few years, numerous developers have realized this obvious fact and have saturated the area with resorts. The advantage is that almost every accommodation offers private access to the superb and often uncrowded beach. The disadvantage is that M´i Né lacks a social fabric; the resorts are spread out and closed off from one another, so travelers may find it hard to meet people.
Tour buses shuttle visitors in from HCMC, à Låt, and Nha Trang. The nearest local bus station is in Phan Thi€t, which is accessible by motorbike taxi (20,000-30,000). Most hotels rent out motorbikes (US$5 per day) and bicycles (US$2 per day) for travel along the peninsula, but you can walk almost everywhere in town.
One lone street, Highway 707 (also called Nguy[n inh Chi€u and HuÇnh Thúc Kháng, west and east respectively of the Fairy Stream Bridge), runs parallel to the crescent-shaped beach and connects Phan Thi€t and Hwy. 1 to M´i Né village. The north side of the road is lined primarily with restaurants; the south (beach) side has the resorts. Establishments often give their addresses by kilometer number along the highway. The beach on the western side is the nicest one while the one in the center of town tends to be the most battered by winds and surf; it’s also quite narrow and steep on account of erosion. The beach on the eastern side is also pleasant, but sometimes the wind carries the ever-pleasant odor of fish and fish sauce here. Budget accommodations and restaurants are concentrated on this end.
M´i Né is visited by the major nationwide tour agencies. Most places can book you tickets from M´i Né to the surrounding tourist destinations (à Låt, HCMC, and Nha Trang). They also rent out jeeps, motorbikes, and bicycles. Sinh Cafe, 144 Nguy[n inh Chi€u (☎847 542; www.sinhcafevn.com), is located inside the Sinh Cafe M´i Né Resort. An Phu Tourist, 45B HuÇnh Thúc Kháng (☎847 543; www.anphutouristhoian.com) is another popular company. Hanh Cafe, Km 14 (☎847 347), has a good restaurant and arranges local exploration. Vietcombank has a 24hr. ATM adjacent to the Saigon M´i Né Resort (AmEx/MC/V). For currency exchange and MC/V cash advances, try Incombank, which has branches at Swiss Village Resort, 44B Nguy[n inh Chi€u, and Tropico Resort, 73 Nguy[n inh Chi€u. (Both branches open M-F 7:30am-noon and 1-4:30pm.) Many resorts ask guests not to handwash laundry in their bungalow bathrooms and instead use the laundry services that line the town’s main street and charge about 15,000 per kg. A local pharmacy is at 85A HuÇnh Thúc Kháng, across from Canary Resort. There is a small strip mall at 75 Nguy[n inh Chi€u, across from the Vinh S™£ng Seaside Resort, with groceries, souvenirs, necessities, a liquor store, laundry service, and film developers. Internet access is easy but expensive in M´i Né; you can pay 5000 per hr. at streetside cafes or as much as 12,000 per hr. inside resorts. A branch of Phan Thi€t’s post office is at Swiss Village Resort, where stamps, postcards, phone cards, and international calling are available. (☎741 015; fax 741 017. Open daily 8am-8pm.)
M´i Né is all accommodations. The entire beach is lined with resorts of every shape, size, and smell. No resort ever wants their guests to leave the grounds, so most are outfitted with restaurants, entertainment venues, and sometimes Internet access. Constant construction means the number of rooms is growing rapidly. Budget accommodations are almost as plentiful, and the summer months (June- Sept.) yield discounts of 10 to 30 percent. Don’t bother trying to lower the price of your room; few hotel owners in M´i Né bend to hagglers.
All the resorts provide their own private restaurants. Outside food options in M´i Né are scarce, and not necessarily better than what the resorts offer. Along the road near the village, there are many small seafood shacks frequented by locals.
The sights around M´i Né are a testament to what nature can come up with when wind, sand, and sea collide. These phenomena are unparalleled in the rest of Vietnam and are well worth the two to three hours it takes to see all of them. The drive along the Pacific highway is a sight in itself. Most local tour companies offer half-day tours (US$10-15), or you can hire a motorbike to do them on your own (90,000 with driver; full-day rental US$5).
Fairy Spring. A warm, clear stream has created a narrow gorge where the dunes and clay meet jungle palms and brush, exposing a fantastical geological display of reds, pinks, oranges, and whites. Hollywood could not have created a better alien world. Local tour agencies arrange “expeditions” to the spring and the surrounding waterfalls. ( To get there on your own, follow the stream from where it flows underneath the highway. Go along the right bank, past fences and shrubs, and then drop down into the stream itself and walk another kilometer to the source. The water never gets more than a foot deep, but wear sandals or quick-drying shoes. You can usually hire a guide right on the spot.)
Sand Dunes. The area east of Phan Thi€t has a fascinating climate. Besides strong heat and winds, it receives only a fraction of the rainfall that surrounding provinces and the city itself do, creating a unique landscape famous throughout Vietnam. Just a few kilometers northeast of M´i Né village are large orange sand dunes, which lie just off the main road. Visitors can climb over the dunes and slide down them on sheets of plastic. They don’t cover a very large area, but there’s something inspiring about standing atop one and looking out at the ocean. There are bigger, more impressive “white” dunes another 35km down the road, with a mini-oasis and water lily-filled lake in the center. (To reach the first dunes, head east on Hwy. 1 toward the village. After entering the outskirts of town, take a left at the market immediately after the blue-and-yellow “Ch” sign. The dunes will be on the left about 5km down the road.)
H®ng Rum (Red Canyon). Flowing water and dry red clay come together to form this small but impressive canyon, a sight unlike any other in Vietnam. Visitors can walk through the dried streambed, as the red peaks rise up on both sides. Two paths lead to and through the gorge. To the left, the trail passes a water pump station and proceeds through a briar patch into the center. The path on the right leads higher into the gorge and gives a better view of its topography. (The canyon is about 3km down the road from the first set of sand dunes. A break in the fence marks the entrance.)
Entertainment in M´i Né centers around the water. Several establishments offer a range of water sports, from bodyboarding to windsurfing. While the waves here are not particularly suited to normal surfing, the winds make M´i Né Vietnam’s kitesurfing capital. Windchimes, based at Saigon M´i Né Resort, is highly professional and has skilled, multi-lingual kite surfing instructors. (www.windchimes-vietnam.com. Open daily 8am-6pm.) Jibe’s Beach Club, 90 Nguy[n inh Chi€u, was the first in M´i Né and is still a reputable place to get your adrenaline rush. (Open daily 8am-7pm.) The staff at Airwaves, with branches at the Sea Horse Resort, Sailing Club Resort, and Bon Bien Resort, is a fun and informal bunch. (☎903 308 313; www.airwaveskitesurfing.com. Open daily 8am-6pm.) All offer equipment rental, lessons with experienced instructors, and, of course, a bar. All of these places offer similar services at roughly equivalent prices: windsurf equipment US$12 per hour or US$45 per day; kitesurf equipment US$20/75; surfboard or boogie board US$3/10; kite surfing lessons with equipment US$85.
Since most vacationers stay in their resorts, nightlife in M´i Né is nowhere near as happening as in Nha Trang, Vietnam’s other premier beach destination. But that doesn’t stop the few local bars from pumping music and flashing lights all night long. If you go out, be aware that in the wee hours you’ll be at the mercy of only a few motorbike drivers to get home, and gross overcharging is not unusual.
 |
 |
 |
 |
For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube
Foursquare
Newsletter
RSS Feed
Overview