Mui Ne Beach

Fifteen kilometres (10 miles) of Mui Ne Beach’s off-white sands and gentle waves are what greets anyone who makes the journey north from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Situated on a tiny finger of land jutting out into the South China Sea, Mui Ne Beach is surrounded by verdant mountains and is considered one of the quieter and less developed beach destinations on Vietnam’s expansive coastline.

That said, it has a similar quality of nightlife to Nha Trang or even Ho Chi Minh City, with many nightspots in operation since the hippy days of the late 1960s, and not much changed since.

At its northern end, visitors will find a traditional fishing village, with colourful homemade fishing boats beached on the sand. However, it’s the southern end of Mui Ne Beach which is the place to head for both swimming and water sports, thanks to its rock-free waters.

Offshore winds make Mui Ne Beach a popular location for kite surfing, and though calm, there are still enough breaks to lure surfers and kayakers to this sublime stretch of Vietnamese coast.