A cheaper way to make a trip to Mui Ne

Thanks to its natural land-scapes and pristine beaches, Mui Ne is a popular destination for international and local tourists who go there to expand their travel itinerary or for a weekend escape from work.

Scattered along the coastline are many resorts offering comfortable and luxury accommodations and other services for tourists to relax during their holidays. And off course, in return for the comfort, vacationers have to pay more money.

However, there is a cheaper, but no less interesting, way to make the trip to Mui Ne for backpackers or travelers on a limited budget.

Bus is the cheapest means of transportation to get there. From HCMC, travelers can buy bus tickets at open-tour operators, such as Sinh Café and Phuong Trang among others. A number of tour providers offering daily tours to Mui Ne have offices located in the heart of the city, on De Tham Street and Pham Ngu Lao Street, with buses usually leaving in the morning.

With tickets costing from VND60,000 to VND65,000 (US$3.8) each, travelers will make their journey in a 45-seat, air conditioned bus. In addition, the ticket includes a bottle of pure water, a paper tissue and a bag of coconut.



Travelers get on a bus at Mui Ne Resort to return to HCMC



For reasons of safety, the driver will often keep the bus running slowly enough for passengers to enjoy looking out of the windows at the landscape and scenes of the daily activities of people living along the national road!

After four hours and some 220 kilometers, travelers will feel the sea winds in the air as they approach the ‘kingdom of resorts’ in the Mui Ne region.

The artery street of Nguyen Dinh Chieu divides the resort town into two separated worlds. One side is dotted with many luxury and comfortable resorts along the pristine beaches, meanwhile on the other side is the world of restaurants, boutique shops, entertainment services and guest houses or inns.

Depending on the weight of their pockets vacationers can choose a luxury service or a comfortable accommodation. For those in search of less expensive options, inns or guest houses are the best choice for their stay during their holidays.

Prices are changed subject to the travel season and days of the week. However, a good bargain will provide travelers an air-conditioned room for two with prices ranging from VND100,000 to VND150,000, or from VND60,000 to VND80,000 for a room with fans.

Vacationers will also find a wide range of pricing for dining, according to their taste. Restaurants scattered along the street serve many different kinds of food, including Vietnamese, Korean, Indian and French among others. However, a seafood barbecue is what a traveler should try, with prices starting from VND35,000 per dish.

To explore the region, one can hire a motorbike or a bicycle priced at VND70,000 and VND15,000 respectively for 24 hours. There are also buses running from Phan Thiet City to Mui Ne every 30 minutes with tickets ranging from VND3,000 to VND8,000 each.

For swimming, one can ask any local for a path leading to the beach, and of course, one can swim freely anywhere once they get to the water.

Practice martial arts in the Delta

A tour to the Mekong Delta could be an interesting trip for visitors who want to explore the culture and the daily life of the local people in the southern area of Vietnam. This time, it could offer them a more special experience as the tour operator has added a new feature: a chance to learn some martial arts.

This two-day tour in Vinh Long Province in the Mekong Delta starts in HCMC in the morning. After a sight-seeing trip to the Vinh Sang Farm in An Thuan Hamlet, An Binh Commune, Long Ho District, martial arts instructors will join the tour to explain some martial arts postures to guests and tourists will practice the postures in the fruit garden.

This not only gives guests some hints on how to protect themselves but also helps them reject stress and improve their health. “With elderly people, we will show them some tai chi and describe methods to reduce stress,” said Cao Ngoc Minh, public relations executive of Ben Thanh Tourist, the tour’s arranger.

Tourists practice the martial arts under guide of the martial arts instructor

She said that each group of 15 to 20 guests will receive guidance from a martial arts instructor from HCMC. While the elderly people on the tour are offered opportunities to explore the culture, history, and rural scenery of the Mekong Delta, the younger people will spend more time practicing martial arts.

In the evening, tourists will have a romantic dinner on a three level boat and enjoy don ca tai tu (amateur traditional Southern opera). The ideal time for the tour could be on Saturdays, when all the lights of My Thuan Bridge are turned on creating a wonderful view of the bridge and the river.

On the second day, tourists will practice martial arts again, catch fish and bathe in the Co Chien river. At Vinh Sang Farm, tourists will also have the chance to become farmers as they learn more about the daily lives of the southern delta peoples. They will wear ao ba ba (a kind of shirt used by South Vietnamese peoples), and khan ran (bandanna) provided by the farm to catch fish, and try some of the other daily activities of farmers.

Guests who enjoy adventure could try riding one of the many ostriches at the farm who are used to having visitors ride on their backs.

The tour costs VND675,000 per tourist for groups of ten people, VND595,000 per tourist for groups of 20 people.

By SGT