From Ho Chi Minh City, travel East for 198 kilometers on Highway 1 to the city of Phan Thiet. Then take Route 706 East for another 22 kilometers to Mui Ne Beach (Ham Tien Ward). Mui Ne Beach and Phan Thiet may be easily reached by car or bus and is now about a 5 hour ride. Nha Trang is about 5 hours away, and Da lat is 3-5 hours, depending upon the highways taken. All major tour operators visit Mui Ne.There is no local airport.

Train Schedule & Information

Trains depart from the Saigon Train Station at both 6:45am and 7:30am during the week, and 5:30pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; arriving in Phan Thiet in just under 5hrs. Trains usually depart from Phan Thiet at 1:40pm during the week, and 11:25pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; arriving in Saigon about 5.5hrs later. The original ticket price sold in Phan Thiet is $4.75. Booking through a tour company will at minimum, double the price, thanks to both high commissions and dishonest ticket sellers. Hotels can arrange pick-ups from the train station, or you can catch any of the many Mai Linh Taxis waiting there for at least $8.
The train station in Muong Man, 45 minutes northwest of Phan Thiet, has connecting trains to all locations serviced by Vietnam Railways. See www.vr.com.vn for a complete schedule and prices (but you may not be able to book online).

Mui Ne - Phan Thiet Shuttles

Busses between Mui Ne and Phan Thiet run every 15 minutes, stopping at all the green bus signs along the beach. They head to The Coop Mart Shopping Center and Central Market in Phan Thiet. The ticket is around 8,000VVND. Please note: We have received several reports that drivers have refused to pick-up foreign passengers.

The Truth About Open Tour Busses

You’ll notice we only recommend 1 of the many open tour companies, and a few of the regular busses servicing Mui Ne. There’s good reason.
It would be bad enough if a ride on an open tour bus merely meant a ride in an old beat-up bus with no (or broken) air-conditioning; lots of unnecessary stops at lousy restaurants where the driver receives a commission; late departures and arrivals; driving round and round town for an hour or more, with a bus full of passengers, looking for more customers on the street, so the driver can pocket all the money; refusing to drop customers off at their hotels—but instead only taking them to hotels where the driver receives a commission; forgetting to pick up customers; abandoning customers in the countryside in the middle of the night; suffering constant flat tires because companies don’t change their tires when they wear out.. in fact we could go on and on about the many reasons why you should not take an open tour bus.
All of this would be bad enough, but the ticket prices have pushed us over the edge. ALL bus companies charge two prices—one for Vietnamese, and another price that is 50%-100% higher for foreigners (or Viet Kieu). Of course they all deny it, but anyone who has traveled very long can figure this out. Even those that are familiar with this fact often don’t realize however, that it’s not supposed to be this way. The government didn’t mandate it. The companies themselves didn’t set it up this way. The ticket sellers—sitting at the desk in the local, branded company offices, decide how much to charge you based on how rich—or stupid--they think you look—and generally pocket the difference. This is not just a Mui Ne problem—in fact we would like to think our folks are just a little more honest than everyone else—but it is a national problem, and it’s the way business is done in Vietnam. It’s not just bus tickets either. Any tour or ticket you buy is priced this way.
We’ve recommended Tam Hanh, Phuong Trang and Sinh Café here because their service is set to a much higher standard that all the others. You can generally depend that their busses are air-conditioned. Sinh Café generally provides comfortable sleeper busses now. Most provide free bottled water, and even cold towelettes and salted peanuts. There’s also a guide on the bus to inform passengers about what’s going on. There might even be a toilet on board. However, we are not prepared to vouch for their honest in pricing at this time.
We hope that one day we can recommend more companies. But to do this we need to see and increase in quality of service, honesty and transparency in pricing.
Recommended Tours
Sand Dunes Tour. This tour is best early in the morning to see the sunrise at the sand dunes, or late in the afternoon to watch the sunset. The dunes may now be reached by motorbike, but we recommend taking a jeep tour so you can ride on the beach. Stop at the market in Mui Ne village to pick up supplies (food and drink). Make your next stop at the Red Sand Dunes. Stay for a few minutes to take some photos. After passing Hon Rom village, ride along the beach to the village of Binh Tien. Head over the hills to the White Sand Dunes. This is the highlight of any trip to Mui Ne. Get some pictures, slide down the dunes on plastic sleds, and then have a picnic lunch by the lake, under the pines. Head back, stopping at the Red Sand Canyon for an exploration. Back in Mui Ne Beach, make an optional stop at the Fairy Springs (you should visit the springs at some point during your stay), and follow the stream through the canyon to the small waterfall at the back. The walk should take 30-minutes to 1 hour. This whole tour should last all morning and halfway through the afternoon. As of 2008, jeep tours to the Sand Dunes should range between $25-$30 US.
Ta Kou / Khe Ga Tour. Ta kou and Khe Ga may be visited separately for a more relaxed tour, or together to make a very long day. Head out first thing to the Cham Towers. Get some nice photos of the towers and the view of the city and harbor. Next stop at the Phan Thiet City Market to pick up supplies (food and drink) and get some photos of the water tower, bridges and harbor. Head to Ta Kou Mountain and either hike the trail for free or take the gondola. At the top, view the temple and Vietnam's largest reclining buddha. Have a vegetarian lunch at the temple, enjoy a meal at the gondola restaurant, or eat a picnic lunch under the rainforest canopy. Next head to the coast to Khe Ga Beach to view the island lighthouse and take a swim. On the way back, stop at the great roadside canyon of Ganh Son and the former site of the LZ Betty, an American military base. As of 2008, a tour to Ta Kou Mountain by jeep should cost $50 US.
Other Sites. There are other worthy sites of interest in the area, read about them here.