Mui Ne – A Russian beach break in Vietnam

I headed to Mui Ne with no real expectations. As far as I was concerned it was a layover for a few days after leaving the bright lights of Ho Chi Minh City. We landed at ‘Mui Ne Backpackers‘ hostel after a 6 hour bus journey and couldn’t believe our luck. Beautiful uncluttered rooms, a pool and most importantly the SEA!

Oh wow the beach felt like the biggest luxury and so much space everywhere. I imagine those that head to Mui Ne during peak season would have a very different experience but early September was idillic. 

Don’t head here expecting culture and an opportunity to immerse yourself into Vietnam but to rest up, windsurf, paddle in the warm inviting sea it’s ideal. Jibe’s the restaurant come beach house next door to the hostel served up amazing food – see my breakfast below, with a sea view and the chance to do a range of water sports.

Wandering the strip was a little bizarre as it was so quiet and there are a huge amount of hotels that would be classed as 5 star in the western world – all deserted. The restaurants were also empty but fully staffed, all keen for business. It seemed a little odd at first that so many restaurants had Russian rather than English as the second language but we learnt that Mui Ne has been developed with a lot of Russian money and therefore a huge number of Russian people head there as a holiday destination.

It was a bit of a surreal moment sitting in a 1940s American themed, Russian owned bar in Vietnam but their G&Ts hit the spot! The crowd in Mui Ne are pretty cool and there is a day trip option to surf the sand dunes and ride an Ostrich – apparently a good experience. I did nowt but relax, swim in the sea and re-group. I left feeling ready to embrace the next leg of my adventure.