Why Mui Ne is Unique

Welcome to Mui Ne Beach, the sunniest place in Vietnam! Here you can enjoy fine dining and fresh local seafood; spend an exciting day windsurfing or a reclusive morning at the White Sand Dunes; shop at the Mui Ne Village Markets for cheap clothing, local produce, and traditional crafts; explore ancient ruins of the Champa Kingdom; or have a night on the town in Phan Thiet City.

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 dunes meandering through kilometers of red, yellow and white sands. 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 has becoming known as the kiteboarding and windsurfing capitol of Vietnam. Likewise, neighboring Phan Thiet has one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in the country, at the Ocean Dunes Golf Club. The new Sea Links Golf Course opened in 2008, offering an addition 9 holes.

Much of the resort areas of Mui Ne are less than 10 years old. Mui Ne is relatively new community and is much more relaxed than other costal areas in Vietnam. It's on of the friendliest spots in the country--and you won't be pestered by touts and scam artists here! However you spend your vacation, you will find it to be one of the most relaxing yet memorable yet.

Medical

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
tel: (062) 847-497, (0918) 210-504
Daily 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Phan Thiet offers better facilities and large hospitals.

An-Phuoc Hospital
235 Tran Phu, Ward Phu Trinh
tel: (062) 831-056
An emergency surgical team, on-call ambulances, CAT machines and in-house labs for emergency tests.

Binh Thuan Red Cross
30-32 Ly Thuong Kiet, Phan Thiet
tel: (062) 818-550

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.

What to Bring

• Larger-sized people may have difficulty buying cloths in the market. Best to bring enough cloths with you.
• Electronic gadgets, battery chargers, laptop equipment. Other than cell phone stores, there are not a lot of shops for this in neighboring Phan Thiet.
• DVDs and Audio CD's. There are few shops in Phan Thiet and none in Mui Ne that sell them.
• Reading material. Victor Tours (across from Full Moon) however, does now have a small used book shop.
• Sun protection. You can buy it here but you'll need it immediately.

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

Phan Thiet and Mui Ne have lots of new shops, and more popping up every day. Highlights of shopping here include:

• Nuoc Mam (fish sauce)
• Dried Seafood
• Coconut Cakes (Banh Trung Thu & Banh Dua)
• Banana, Sesame and Cashew Candies
• Local Produce (especially Dragon Fruit)
• Embroidery, Paintings and Lacquer
• Cham Textiles (blankets, scarves, hand bags)
• Cham Ceramics
• Crocodile Leather
• Sand Paintings

Featured Shop

• Binh Thuan Authentic
  CLICK HERE FOR MORE
  Unique local items (exclusively made in Binh Thuan Province) include Pure Cashew Flower Honey, Wildflower Honey and Coffee Flower Honey; Minority baskets (backpacks) from the K'ho, Rai, Rag Lai and Churu tribes; Cham ethnic costumes, textiles and pottery; Minority language-learning materials, local candies and more!

Souvenirs (General) & Convenience

• Forester Shop
  65 A Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 741-317
  www.forestrestaurant.com
  A fine shop in an exotic setting, selling cham ceramics, crocodile leather and assorted high-quality souvenires.



• Go Ahead Souvenir Shop
  149 Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (Opposite Kim Ngan's Guest House)
  tel: (062) 360-8655
  fax: (062) 374-3452
  cel: (098) 387-2280
  dttlyodgc@yahoo.com
  Go Ahead Souvenir Shop in Mui Ne is famous for its shell products.
• Kim's Shop 1
  121 Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 741-422
• Kim's Shop 2
  53 Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 741-338
  Kim's two stylish shops (on either end of the beach) have a broad selection of quality souvenirs and everyday items that every traveler needs like snacks, toiletries and sunscreen.
• Shop Thai
  29 Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 741-267
  Selling virtually every popular trinket and craft item from all over the country. Rigorous haggling is necessary. The marked prices are bit high.

Books (Used)

• Victor Tour
  Across from Full Moon
  121A Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (098) 959-1599
  This tour company located at Coco Café (internet cafe) has the first and largest used book selection in town.

Handbags

• Golden Sand Saloon Resort
  81BIS Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 741-277
  Crocodile, Snake and stingray bags, wallets, belts and keychains
• Minh Nhung Crocodile Shop
  34 Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 741-428
  Crocodile and snake bags, wallets, belts and other items. The fixed prices are a little high but the merchandise is high-quality.
• The Rock Shop
  12.5km
  (062) 743-086
  This in-house gift shop at The Hot Rock carries an eclectic selection of locally inspired hand bags and jewelry, using local fabrics and traditional designs.

Jewelry

• Thinh & Sabine
  79a Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  090 993-1192
  Handmade jewelry, especially sapphires in gold and silver settings.

Markets

• Coop Mart
  On the corner of Nguyen Tat Thanh and Tran Hung Dao in Phan Thiet, the 3 floors include a grocery store, numerous bakeries, souvenir and jewelry shops, a Fahasa book store, food court, and Lotteria fast food restaurant. A new movie theater screening American films in English is planned for 2009.
• Mui Ne Village Market
  The market at Mui Ne Cape sells lots of fresh fruit and inexpensive clothing. Best times to visit are early in the morning.
• Phan Thiet Central Market
  This market is the largest in Binh Thuan province. You’ll find some of the best fish sauce and cheapest dragon fruit in the country here. Other specialties include cashew and coconut candies, dried seafood, and sand paintings.
• Rang Market
  This little market at the center of Mui Ne Beach serves the community of Ham Tien, and is open from sunrise to 10.30am. It’s a great place to eat breakfast and buy fresh fruit, locally made banana and sesame candies, coconut cakes and peanut brittle.

Optics

• Minh Hung Optics
  Perscription Glasses, Sunglasses, Contact Lenses and Eye exams at four locations:
  33 Tran Quoc Toan St, Phan Thiet City.
  tel: (062) 3 820 707
  52 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Phan Thiet City.
  tel: (062) 3 720 008
  19 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien (Mui Ne Beach).
  tel: (062) 3 847 937
  147 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien (Mui Ne Beach).
  tel: (062) 3 743 743
  Click Here for more Information

Watersports and Beachwear

• Airwaves
  km 11.8
  www.airwaveskitesurfing.com
  Surf boards, kite-boarding equipment, shorts and shirts are all on-hand. Locations at Good Morning Vietnam and Jibes.
• The Beach Shop
  Swiss Village Resort
  Carries bathing suits, sunglasses, sandals, shorts and shirts.
• Mellow
  117C Nguyen Dinh Chieu
  (062) 743-086
  Selling Ozone kite-boarding equipment and clothing. Lessons with Ozone instructors are also available.

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 lacquered sea turtles in shops. 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.