Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 885

Sinh Tourist buses operate from their o ce at Mui Ne
Resort , 144 Nguyen Dinh Chieu ( T 062 847542) near Mui
Ne village.
Destinations Da Lat (5hr); HCMC (5hr); Nha Trang (5hr).

backpacker favourite with beach loungers, comfortable
a/c dorms and even a small pool. Great for organi zin g
tours a nd h elpful when it comes to local info. Dorm $8 ,
double $35
Mui Ne Lodge 150 Nguyen Dinh Chieu T 062 3847327,
W muinelodge.com. Popular resort with bungalows in a
range of sizes with fan or a/c, all tastefully decorated, very
clean and well equipped. The most expensive rooms ($25)
have two double be ds a nd glass fronts facing onto a
private beach. Double $17
The Sun 117C Nguyen Dinh Chieu T 062 3743086.
A laidback compound of ten simple thatched-roof
bungalows with spacious, somewhat dark, fan-cooled
rooms sit aroun d a tranquil garden space full of lush
greenery. Double $15

INFORMATION
Tourist information The website W muinebeach.net
has independent information on hotels, activities and
local events.
Tours Sinh Tourist, all other tour operators on the strip
and lodgings offer almost identical sunset tours to the red
and white dunes ($7-10) that also tend to take in the
Fairy Springs.
Services There are numerous ATMs scattered along
the length of Nguyen Dinh Chieu. The area is best
seen independently by bicycle ($2-4/day) or motorbike
($10/day), rentable from numerous lodgings and tour
operators.

11

EATING
Guava 55 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. More sophisticated than
the surfer joints on the beach, this open terrace bar is a
pleasant place for a quiet (if slightly pricey) evening
cocktail and some sizzling seafood. Mains from 80,000VND.
Daily noon-11pm.
★

ACTIVITIES
Watersports C2Sky (82 Nguyen Dinh Chieu; T 091
6655241, W c2skykitecenter.com) offer a two-hour taster
kitesurfing course for $100, and their seven-hour beginner
course costs $385. Jibes (90 Nguyen Dinh Chieu; T 062
3847008, W windsurf-vietnam.com) rent windsurfers,
surfboards, kitesurf equipment, paddleboards and kayaks
and offer lessons ($60-70/hr). Vietnam Kitesurfing
Tours ( T 090 9469803, W vietnamkitesurfingtours.com)
specialize in kitesurfing only, with a team of expat and
local riders as instructors, taking you to great spots further
out of Mui Ne; day-trips from $90.

Lam Tong 92 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. Great-value fresh
seafood and other local specialities served on a simple,
extremely popular open-air terrace right on the beach.
Try the fried fish with lemon grass and chilli (60,000VND)
or their flavourful take on pho bo , with tiny peppery
meatballs (27,000VND). Daily 7.30am-10pm.
Phat Burgers 253 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. This bright little
place serves some of the best burgers in the country;
choose from “phat phish”, “baby phat” (if not too hungry)
or the enormous, 1.25kg “king of Mui Ne” (if ravenous).
Burgers 70,000-300,000VND. Daily 11.30am-11pm.
Royal India Restaurant 253 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. This
place is perpetually packed with visitors in search of
authentic Indian food. The thalis (both seafood and
vegetarian) are excellent value at 100,000-120,000VND
and make for a gut-busting meal. Daily noon-11pm.
Rung Forest 65 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. Rainforest-themed
restaurant decorated with banana leaves, bark, oil lamps
and ethnic carvings; an atmospheric setting to enjoy tasty
dishes like seafood and rice in a coconut (avoid the
endangered snake and turtle) and to listen to regular live
Cham music. Mains from 80,000VND. Daily noon-10pm.

ACCOMMODATION
The western end of the beach is home to the luxury resorts,
while budget places are clustered at the centre. In low
season (May-Oct), rates drop by up to thirty percent.
Most lodgings have decent restaurants attached.
Bien Dua Resort 136 Nguyen Dinh Chieu T 062
3847241, W bienduaresort.com. Thatched beachfront
bungalows with tiled rooms (some with a/c, some with
fan), surrounded by gree nery and e ciently run by a
French owner. Double $15
Hai Yen 132 Nguyen Dinh Chieu T 062 3847890,
W haiyenguesthouse.com. Bungalows sleeping up to four
($30) and comfortable rooms with porches set around
a pool; the small garden is a good spot for lounging.
Double $15
Hong Di 70 Nguyen Dinh Chieu T 062 3847014,
E [e-mail]. Bamboo bungalows encircle an
attractive communal area with hammocks strewn among
the coconut palm s, lea ding to a private beach and small
restaurant. Double $15
Mui Ne Backpackers 88 Nguyen Dinh Chieu T 062
3847047, W muinebackpackers.com. Friendly, Aussie-run

NIGHTLIFE
You'll find several surfy beach-bars along the water, and
monthly full-moon parties are popular - look out for
billboards along the road. Many of the town's bars stay
open into the early hours of the morning, or until the
crowd thins out.
Jibes 90 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. Casual surfer bar overlooking
the beach, with surfboards on the walls and a mixed menu of
international and Vietnamese offerings. Daily 10am-11pm.