It was honestly tough to leave Dalat after spending a busy few days and recognizing that our 30 day visa was coming to an end. Our next destination would be Mui Ne, a coastal strip of beach that’s essentially a quick stop resort town. We said goodbye to the staff at Ken’s Backpackers and they sent us off with water and bakery goods for the road ahead – I’ve literally never stayed in a nicer hostel. The drive from Dalat to Mui Ne doesn’t feature the same jaw-dropping sights, but it does entail a nice journey through central Vietnam and surrounding dragon fruit and berry plantations. Plus, it was nice to just be on the road again, listen to the familiar hum of your engine and feel the wind brush through my ever-growing beard. The drive itself was a breeze; no gimmicks, just a smooth sailing six hours on the bike with a few breaks in between.

Mui Ne

Similar to Nha Trang, Mui Ne seems to attract a large number of Russian tourists who are on a week or two vacation and are there to drink and lounge out on the beach. While it is just another beach destination there are a far more attractions that makes Mui Ne a much better stop than Nha Trang. For example, there are two large sand dunes in the area; the red and white sand dunes. Both are quite a spectacle, and you can rent cheap plastic boards to slide down the Red Dunes. There’s a fairly bustling night scene, AND it’s one of the best destinations in the world for Kiteboarding.

Things to do in Mui Ne

1. Learn to Kiteboard – Although it was be quite expensive ($40/hour) it’s definitely a sport to pick up. The waters on the shore are often packed between 2-5pm with kite’s flying high is the sky; it’s essentially wind-propelled wakeboarding, and watching people float in the air for a few seconds is pretty amazing. Plus the kite and harness pack into a neat backpack and the board is fairly transportable.
2. Chow down at Phat Burger
   

   The ‘Phat Burger’

3. Check out some dunes – For a 30-minute drive the white sand dunes are a must at sunrise, although the sounds of ATV’s and dune buggies can sometimes kill the vibe. The Red Sand dunes are a little closer and offer the chance to ride a cheap plastic board down them for about 100,000d
4. Eat fresh seafood at the seafood market – Anything from fresh snapper, to crab, to even crocodile can be had along the main beach stretch.

Mui Ne proved to be our last stop before a final push to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It’s hard to believe that two and a half weeks earlier we’d only just learn how to drive a clutch bike. After soaking in the sun for a few days and getting a brief lesson in kiteboarding we packed up and hit the road again for the last time – How could one not be romantic about it?