Why Mui Ne is Unique

Welcome to Mui Ne Beach, Vietnam. Here you can enjoy the finest weather in Vietnam (Mui Ne has the lowest annual rainfall in the entire country). Enjoy fine dining or local street food. Spend an exciting day of windsurfing or a reclusive morning at the White Sand Dunes. Shop at the Mui Ne Village Markets for cheap clothing and local produce, or visit the Phan thiet City to shop for traditional Vietnamese arts and crafts.

Mui Ne Beach and the surrounding Binh Thuan province have everything to offer. We have beautiful tropical beaches lined with groves of swaying palm trees; immense saharan sand dunes meandering for kilometers through colors of red, yellow and white. We have winding rivers teeming with fresh fish and crabs; tall mountains with bamboo rainforests and pristine waterfalls. There are deep red canyons parted by twisting streams and echoed by the sounds of tropical birds... we have everything you could ever want.

Mui Ne is quickly becoming known as the kiteboarding and windsurfing capitol of Vietnam. Likewise, neighboring Phan Thiet has one of the finest golf courses in the country. Development continues on a number of new and exciting venues for the area as well.

Mui Ne is a relatively new community. Phan Thiet is said to be less than 100 years old. In contrast, much of the resort areas of Mui Ne are less than 5 years old. Mui Ne is relatively "undiscovered" and is much more relaxed than other costal areas in Vietnam, and perhaps the friendliest. You won't be pestered by street venders here.

However you spend your vacation, you will find it to be one of the most relaxing yet memorable yet. Come to the friendliest beach in Vietnam.

Medical and Pharmacies

There are small pharmacies and a clinic in Mui Ne at the Swiss Village Resort.

Swiss Village Resort Clinic:
44 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne.
Telephone: (062) 847 497, (0918) 210 504.
Daily 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Phan Thiet offers better facilities and large hospitals. For serious procedures, you may want to head to Saigon which is 3-4 hours away. You can purchase just about any medical supplies you could need it Phan Thiet. Dental is also available here.

Binh Thuan Red Cross
address: 30-32 Ly Thuong Kiet, Phan Thiet
phone: 062818550

What to Bring

• Larger-sized people may have difficulty buying cloths in the market. Best to bring enough cloths with you, or have them tailor-made here
• Electronic gadgets, battery chargers, laptop equipment. There are not a lot of shops for this in neighboring Phan Thiet.
• DVDs and Audio CD's. There are not many shops in Phan Thiet (there are a few though), that sell foreign digital media (except in VCD format).
• Reading material. Only a few shops in Mui Ne have a very limited selection of foreign reading material.
• Sun protection. You can buy it here but you should have it ready from the time you get off the bus.

Banking in Mui Ne

Banks can issue cash advances on credit cards (Visa and Mastercard). The Industrial and Commerical Bank is next to the Tropico Resort (it now has a 24-hour ATM on site) and the other bank is near the Swiss Village Resort--are usually closed Saturday and Sunday. There's a new 24-hour Vietcom ATM now next to the Saigon Mui Ne Resort. The Industrial and Commercial Bank in Phan Thiet (261 Tran Hung Dao St.) may be open Saturday Mornings. Banks close at 4 or 5 pm. This means that if you arrive in Mui Ne on a Friday, well it sucks to be you. Actually, tour offices like Hanh Cafe can give cash advances for higher rates.

America Dollars are generally accepted in Mui Ne, but you usually get a better bargain using Vietnam Dong. It is nearly impossible to get change for something bigger than a $20 US. Try to carry lots of $10, $5 and $1 bills. The larger the bill--the more it is scrutinized. Counterfeit money is very common in Vietnam. Locally, coins are often not accepted. Merchants prefer paper bills.

If you are looking for alternatives to cash, we highly recommend PayPal. With Paypal, you can accept money from anyone with an email address. They can send you funds from credit cards or even their own bank account. You can even send money to yourself. You can collect the money at any bank in Vietnam, or any other country with the PayPal Visa Debit Card. Click the link below for more information.

Post Offices in Mui Ne

There is a small post office in Mui Ne, east of the Ham Tien Market. You are probably better to go to the large post office on Nguyen Tat Thanh St. in Phan Thiet. It is probably easier to send than receive. Packages received in Vietnam are highly taxed, regardless of the method they are shipped. Fedex is the most "reliable" and fastest method but still leaves a lot to be desired. Fedex will often drop off packages with neighbors or leave them at the provincial post office, rather than the specified address. If you use the postal service to send or receive, your package will be opened and thoroughly inspected. In Vietnam, the post office handles the phone systems, and all public phones are available there. Internet cafes now offer overseas calls as well.

Shopping: What to Buy Here

Phan Thiet and Mui Ne have minimal shopping for souvenirs and items of interest to most tourists. Highlights of shopping here include:

• Nuoc Mam (fish sauce)
• Local Produce (especially Dragon Fruit)
• Embroidery
• Cham textiles (in small quantities)
• Paintings & Photos (in small quantities)
• Ceramics (in small quantities)

There are some products which you may find for sale here which you should avoid. These may be illegal in Vietnam or your home country, or simply may encourage destruction of the environment and harm to the local people. These include:

• Coral and coral products. Buying these products encourages destruction to Vietnam's irreplaceable coral reefs.
• Sea Turtle products. You may find preserved sea turtles in shops - particularly sold in the open in Hanoi. This should be obvious--but sea turtles are endangered and all products made from them are illegal.
• Rice wine containing whole animals or animal products. Wildlife populations have been decimated in Vietnam. Many of the animals and animal parts used as ingredients in rice wine are globally threatened and endangered - including the snakes.
• Ivory, bone and tooth products. This animal product will be illegal in most home countries, regardless of which animal it came from. The only allowable products may be those made from farm animals--but this may be very difficult to distinguish.
• Alligator and crocodile leather. This is illegal to transport between many countries.
• Drugs - including marijuana are illegal and the sale or use of them can carry SEVERE penalties.
• Prostitution is illegal and destroys not only yourself, the person you engage with, and your family. Aids and other serious STD's are VERY COMMON in Vietnam--even the countryside.