Vietnam Day Trips from Mui Ne -The Fairy Stream, The Red and White Sand Dunes

We took a basic tour to see the Fairy Stream, the local fishing village and the Red and White Sands. After taking the tour we discovered that the Fairy Stream was actually walking distance from our hotel and we later went back on our own.

The Fairy Stream is actually a small water fissure which starts quite close to the main coastal road through Mui Ne. The first 500 metres or so are pretty uninspiring but it gets much better as you go along. On our trip there with the tour we drove to the parking lot in a mini van. The drive included a lane which was only just wider than the van with the mirrors folded in. The area at the main entrance includes a pen where you can ride an Ostrich. No one was riding them and I am not sure how the Ostriches felt about it. There is also a small open air shop selling snacks.

The flow of the water is quite slow so everyone walks in the stream with their shoes off and pants rolled up. We had sandals so we walked through the water in those. Once you get further downstream it is stunning.

Beautiful sand cliffs and sand dunes which you can climb, although the sand is very hot underfoot. It’s a popular spot and when we were there we saw more local tourists than international ones. There are small cafes in the stream. We also saw several large family groups having picnics along the banks of the river. Every family appeared to have one member assigned to carry a case of the local Saigon beer.  The further you walk the smaller the crowds are. There is also a sign at one point where you are once again close to the road indicating that you can call a taxi for pick-up.

The Mui Ne Fishing Village is at the northern end of Mui Ne Bay and unlike the tourist area this feels like a real village. We were there in the middle of the day but even then the fishing harbour was full of boats and quite active. There is a local market on the beach where you can buy fish and seafood and restaurants where the seafood is definitely fresh.

Our tour continued on to the White Sand Dunes. The drive was alarming, our driver had to pass every other vehicle on the road. It did not matter how fast they were going or if there was room to pass! He passed them all. But I lived to write the blog!

The White Sand Dunes are quite impressive. Big and white and beautiful. You can pay 400,000 VND to ride through them at high speed in a jeep and there are companies with ATV’s tearing around as well.

We walked, the sand was a bit hot but the jeeps and ATV’s stay well away from the people. Sunglasses are a must to protect your eyes from the blowing sand.

We stopped at the Red Sand Dunes on the way back to Mui Ne. The trip was planned so we would arrive just before sunset.

The dunes are smaller but still impressive. They rent crazy carpets so you can slide down the dunes but the only people who actually managed to slide were small children. Adult sized people just sunk in the sand!