Kiteboarding in Mui Ne, Vietnam, by Henry Brett.

 

The Place

Mui Ne is a sleepy Vietnamese fishy village about 220km north east of Ho Chi Minh City. It is possible to get wind in Mui Ne year round but the peak season is from December through February. It is situated in a beautiful half moon shaped bay that is backed by 200m+ red sand dunes. These dunes produce an amazing thermal affect on sunny afternoons.

 

Wind Direction

 

 

 

The Price

 

Beachfront accommodation with A/C can easily be found for US $35 per day (I hear stories of $12 bungalows but have not found them myself). You can easily eat for $10 $20 per day.

 

The Wind (side-on from 14-40 knots)

Days begin with a glassy bay. By 11a you can head out on your 14-16m for light chop and small gentle shore break. By 1-2p the wind kicks in and you can expect to spend the remainder of your day on 8m to 12m kites depending on your size. Be warned that it is not uncommon for the wind to be more then 30 knots so if you have a small kite bring it. The wind usually gets more and more gusty later in the afternoons. Nothing is guaranteed but this place is as good as it gets on the dependability scale from December through February.

 

 

Windguru provides a forecast for Mui Ne (select Phan Thiet as location). If the weather shows as sunny you can add 10 knots to the forecasted wind due to the sand dune thermal effect.

 

 

The Waves

Usually nothing in Mui Ne Bay in the mornings just gentle rolling shore break. By afternoon you can easily have greater that head high wind swell. The combination of the waves, the sea chop and the high winds make this a great advanced rider spot, but the afternoons would not be suitable for beginners and intermediate kites will find it quite challenging. The high wind, big waves afternoons are frequently described as an ass kicker.

 

Just North of Mui Ne you can find a many deserted beaches with much larger swell. These take approximately 20 minutes to reach by car or 30 minutes by moped. The waves are can be 1.5x larger than the surf found in Mui Ne Bay. The wind in this area is usually directly onshore. This is definitely an advanced only area as you are quite remote and will likely be kiting alone.

 

Flat Water

 

Just south of Mui Ne is a river mouth with amazing flat water conditions even in +30 knot winds. The launch is tight and recommend for intermediate and above kiters.

 

Adventures

If you choose to go on an adventure in Vietnam, do it with a guide. Many areas are still heavily mined.

 

1. Down Wind Run (highly recommended)

A Vietnamese kid named Nam who works at Airwaves water sports does a few really cool trips. One is a down winder from Mui Ne to Phan Thiet City where the river mouth is. The ride from Mui Ne down delivers 1.5 to 2 hours of incredible bays with breaking waves and amazed locals. The trip ends in the river mouth where we kited another hour in the flat-water conditions busting huge air effortlessly. Some of Nams local friends were there to help us land the kites and hand us a cold beer as we stepped off the water. They even rolled up and packed our gear for the Taxi ride back to Mui Ne.

 

2. Red Sand Dunes

North of Mui Ne you can go to a flat water lake at the top of the red sand dunes for some amazingly beautiful kiting. On the afternoon we headed up the wind was about 20 knots and we were all on 12 and 11 meter kites. The wind was quite gusty having only been there once I am not sure if it is always this gusty. I'd say the range was 15 to 25 knots. If you are totally bored with Mui Ne this one is worth doing but come for the unique experience, not the kiting.

 

 

 

Food

You can eat great local and western food all around Mui Ne. Prices for local food can be very cheap. Western food is just a bit below what you would expect to pay at home. Many locals eat beef soup (Pho Bo) for breakfast and you can get a great bowl of this tasty soup for about $1.

 

Popular Western Restaurants include Jibes, Guava, and Mui Ne Sailing Club. Reasonably good Italian is also common- my favorite pizza is at a restaurant called Good Morning Vietnam. My favorite local restaurant was Qay Bang a restaurant built right out onto the ocean serving great local seafood at reasonable prices.

 

If you are willing to make the drive into Phan Thiet, there are many great local restaurants in every price range. It can be difficult to navigate the restaurants if you speak no Vietnamese but you will survive.

 

Nightlife *

 

Definitely not Mui Ne's claim to fame. Usually nightlife consists drinking and talking. Popular spots are Jibes (pool table, kite videos, music and reasonably priced drinks), Hot Rock (outdoor bar/restaurant with a pool table), and Guava (comfortable chairs and groovy lounge music).

 

Guys good luck meeting girls here. It happens, but the odds are against you.

 

Girls you are in luck, sit back and take your pick.

 

If you are willing to drive to Phan Thiet there is a disco called MTV. The music is ear bleedingly loud, but on Saturday's and sometimes Tuesday's you can find an odd crowd of foreigners and locals partying and dancing here. If some of the girls seem too friendly it is because they are working.

 

Pay for your drinks as they come as this place is famous for inflating the bill (usually by a small amount) and blocking the door till you pay up.

 

Kitesurf Schools

Jibes and Airwaves are considered the top schools and the only two licensed with the local government. Avoid unlicensed schools and random individuals soliciting lessons on the beach. Both Jibes and Airwaves have fully stocked stores with the latest in gear.

 

Airwaves

http://www.airwaveskitesurfing.com

 

Jibes

http://www.windsurf-vietnam.com

 

Accommodations:

 

Mui Ne Sailing Club Rooms from US$55, Bungalow from US$80

Tel: (84-62) 847 440/2 - Fax: (84-62) 847 441

http://www.sailingclubvietnam.com

 

 

One of the nicest places in Mui Ne but also one of the most expensive. This place has a beachfront pool, restaurant and bar. This spot is 100% girlfriend and family friendly. Airwaves water sports has one of its locations here at the resort and there are crew of kite caddies based here that do everything - you will never pump a kite. One negative is that the beach here can be small or non existent at high tide.

 

Half Moon Resort Rooms from US$ 60

www.windsurf-vietnam.com/Sleep.htm

Great pool and great location right beside Jibes beach club for kiting and after session cocktails. Family and girlfriend friendly. Plenty of beach to be found at high and low tide.

 

 

 

Sunshine Beach Resort A/C rooms from US $35

Tel: (84-62) 847788, Fax: (84-62)847790

http://www.sunshine-beach.com

This would be my budget recommendation. Great, well kept rooms with A/C.

Getting There:

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City.

 

By Taxi from Ho Chi Minh to Mui Ne is approximately US$60. Negotiate to price before departure. The taxi will take approximately 3.5 hours.

 

By Bus -You catch a bus from the backpackers area of Ho Chi Minh for US$7.00 The bus ride takes between 4.5 and 5 hours.

 

Overnight Ho Chi Minh

A great budget hotel is the Lele for around $30. It is located in the backpackers area where the bus to Mui Ne departs. If money is no object check out the Park Hyatt an amazing property by any standard. The best party is found from 10-12p at Apocalypse Now and after midnight at a place called Q- Bar in the Opera House. Beware overly friendly ladies unless you are planning on paying for company.

 

Currency:

Current exchange rate is about 15,500 Dong per US. Dollar. The best way to get money is from an ATM. You can use US dollars without much trouble throughout Vietnam, but your change will come in Dong and the exchange rate provided for spot purchases varies so it is recommended you carry some local currency.