Apparently Miu Ne is a beautiful beach, with clean sand and calm safe water. My guide book mentions it very vaguely as a fishing village with the pervasive smell of their famous fish paste.
It is some sort if hell. I don't know how beautiful the beach is.... I walked for 45minutes without finding a way to get to said beach. Russian developers have bought all the land in the beach side of the road, and built expansive resorts. There is no way to access the beach, except by staying in these resorts. There are "cheaper"(but still expansive compared with any other town) hotels on the non beach side...... but then all you get to do is walk along the ugly road, being harassed by people trying to sell expansive beachy type clothes (most were more than I would pay for similar clothes in Australia, and crap looking quality).
Apparently Russians don't need a visa to come to vietnam, this is because when surveyed they spend more than any other tourist. But they all come and do a Russian owned bus tour, that goes to Russian owned hotels and resorts with on site ships, restaurants, experiences (kite surfing, massage etc.). So yes, the Russian tourists spend more than me.... but other than possibly the wage of a few cleaners, and a couple of expansive shirts.... it all for a back to Russia. And for that, they have destroyed what was apparently once upon a time a nice village.
On any other beach (or park, it waterfall) there are some hotels, people renting chairs, people selling food, or hats, or drinks, or trinkets. But everyone is able to make some little amount if money from whatever nice thing that town has.
Miu Ne has ruined any chance of locals who don't have the capital to set up a whole shop making any money, and the resorts Chase away the fishermen that originally used the beach to catch fish, and make fermented fish paste to sell to the inland areas.
So, my advice, don't bother with Mui Ne, its main claim to fame are some red and sole white sand dunes, and they sure aren't anything to write home about. I think it is a hot spot for kite surfing and windboarding, but I know you can find plenty of much nicer places for that.
Although, it is the only place in Vietnam I have seen ostrich riding. Advertised with a giant sign reading: "enjoy a relaxing ostrich ride adventure." I just can't imagine that riding an ostrich is at all relaxing.
My other favourite site of Mui Ne was called fairy stream. After we checked in Thanh, my guide, asked if I would like to walk up fairy stream. And I thought, well that sounds lovely. It's, a stream. Not an exciting or at all particular beautiful stream. But, because it has a sign, and a nice name... masses of tourists were walking up it constantly. I think this OS hilarious, if you build a sign... they will come
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