Around Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City

Dalat is located on a verdant plateau containing pine forests and lakes, located 300 km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. At the elevation 1,500 meters, Dalat’s cool climate provides a pleasant respite from the heat and humidity of the lowlands and it was for this reason that the French developed it in the early 1900’s as a summer retreat.

Dalat’s colonial influences can still be seen in its cathedral and some of the 2,000 villas that dot the town. The town has a relaxed atmosphere and is very popular with Vietnamese holiday makers, primarily honeymooners. In recent years, enormous amounts of money have been spent to restore the city to its former glory. Lakes have been dredged and cleaned, old buildings have been restored, and new hotels have been built. Foreign investors renovated an old French chateau, the Sofitel Palace Hotel, now managed by the Accor Group.

Lang Biang Mountains is located on Lang Biang Plateau, Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province. It’s only about 12km from Dalat centre and sometimes called Lam Vien Mountain as well.

Mui Ne

Northast of Phan Thiet the coastal road climbs over the slope of a Cham-Tower-topped hill and descends onto the long, sandy crescent of Mui Ne Bay. The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne proper has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Now it is a 15 km long strip of resorts that line up like pearls on Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, shaded by coconut palms. The main resort strip lies between the addresses of 2 and 98 Nguyen Dinh Chieu and is actually named Ham Tien.

Given the choice, nature would move the sand around, much to the dismay of some developers. Beach sand tends to migrate up and down the coast seasonally, leaving some (but not all) spots with just a concrete breakwater rather than sandy beach. There is always a good sandy beach somewhere along this 10 km beach. Accommodations at higher addresses tend to be smaller and less expensive, somewhat removed from the main tourist section and more mixed in with local life. If a sandy beach is important to you, some research is called for before booking in that area.

A few bargain hotels have popped up on the inland side of the road, across from the beach-side resorts. If you stay on the inland side, you will need to pass though one of the resorts to reach the beach, which might or might not result in some hassle from the guards. The resorts jealously guard their lounge chairs and palapas, though the beach itself is open to everyone. If all else fails, you can always access a nice sandy stretch of beach via the Wax Bar at 68 Nguyen Dinh Chieu.

Sands Dunes of Mui Ne

The White Dunes are by far the larger dunes and are known by locals as Bau Trang or White Lake. There are quite a few small stands selling food and drinks to visitors within the area along with pine trees offering much-needed shade.

The Red Dunes, as the name suggests, features reddish-brown sand that makes them a more popular place for photography. Smaller than White Dunes, they are easier to reach. Sand-sledding is a common (and fun) activity here, but it is hard to nail down where the best location to do so is as the sands shift from season to season so it’s best to look around. Dry sand is much more enjoyable to sled on.

The Eastern Coast of Vietnam south of Muine

When comes to the peak season, Muine is usually packed with both local and Overseas tourists. To get away from the crowd, there are several Coastal Resorts along the eastern coast south of Muine. One of which is the Coastal Resort.