Areas and Beaches of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne - Where to Better Stay

Hotels in Mui Ne and Phan Thiet, prices and where to book

In Mui Ne and Phan Thiet, there is a large number and variety of accommodation options for every taste and budget, and that's what makes it so convenient for vacation. If you want, you can stay in a bungalow right by the beach within the resort area, choose a luxurious hotel with its own territory and pool on the first line right in the center, or settle in an isolated resort away from civilization on Bikini Beach or beyond Mui Ne village. If you need to live on a budget, then on the second line behind the main road there are many inexpensive guest houses, and if you go a bit further from the shore, then in the alleys you can find a lot of housing for long-term rent. In our opinion, such a great variety in one place cannot be found in any other resort on the mainland part of Vietnam, except perhaps on Phu Quoc Island.

However, the popularity of the resort makes it also one of the most expensive, and in our experience, accommodation here is still a bit more expensive than, for example, in Nha Trang. Budget travelers can find accommodation in the Mui Ne resort area in a guest house for $15-20 for two. For such money, you can get a double room with all necessary amenities: air conditioning, private bathroom, refrigerator. For a room in a hotel with territory and pool near the central beach, you can find from $25 (when booking in advance), and 4 and 5-star hotels will cost from $40 per day. Significantly cheaper you can stay in hotels on remote beaches, even "fours" are available from $25, but by staying there you will be in isolation and far from civilization.

Watch our review of a hotel in Mui Ne, and you'll see for yourself how things really are:

As for hotels operating on the "All Inclusive" system, there are none here, as in general it is not common in Vietnam. At most, you can find hotels with breakfast or breakfast and dinner; if you definitely need "All Inclusive", it's better to choose another country for vacation.

Finding accommodation on the spot upon arrival in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne is possible without problems at any time of the year, but it is definitely recommended to book in advance if you plan to visit the resort during the high tourist season (from December to April) and especially during the New Year holidays and Vietnamese New Year Tet. In principle, even during this time you can always find something on the spot, but it will be exactly "something", not a good hotel.

And one more addition to choosing a hotel: if you really love swimming in calm, clean water, then we highly recommend choosing a hotel with a pool. Unfortunately, the sea in Mui Ne is very often rough, especially during the windy period from January to March, and inexperienced swimmers find it difficult to swim to their heart's content here.

You can find and book accommodation in Mui Ne or Phan Thiet on these reliable, tested sites or through the search form:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Mui Ne or Phan Thiet on Trip.com (👍 Mir cards work)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Mui Ne or Phan Thiet on Yandex Travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

What are the beaches like in Mui Ne and Phan Thiet, amenities and entertainment

The total length of beaches in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne is tens of kilometers, and all of it is nice yellow sand. Only in some places there are rocks on the shore and stones underwater, and in the Mui Ne resort area and in the city, the shore is reinforced with concrete, but this is only a small part of the entire coastline.

Beach infrastructure and water activities are poorly developed here and are found only in rare places. In Vietnam in general, there are few places on beaches with changing cabins, toilets, sunbed rentals. So if you are vacationing in a hotel without its own beach, then be prepared that you will have to change clothes in the hotel or covering yourself with a towel, and sunbathe on your own mattress or towel.

By the way, about beach access. Both officially and in fact, all beaches here are publicly accessible; there are no closed hotel beaches. But there are "hotels with their own beach." This means that the hotel arranges and cleans the beach, installs sunbeds, umbrellas, and other amenities on the shore, but only guests of this hotel can use them. At the same time, you can access such a beach from the side, but not always directly from the main road, and sometimes only along the shore. So if you stay on the second line and further, i.e., across the road from the beach, then be prepared that to get to the shore you will either have to pass through the hotel territory if they allow it, or go around through rare passages from the main road.

But in our opinion, this is not a problem at all for those who decided to save money and choose a hotel on the second line, and does not bother those staying on the first line at all, there is enough space for everyone here.

There is generally little entertainment here, but there is some. Perhaps the main beach entertainment and water activity is learning surfing and kitesurfing. There are many schools and equipment rentals for this. If that's not your thing, you can just ride a banana boat, a "biscuit", rent a jet ski, rent a SUP board. But honestly, the prices for "rides" cannot be called low.

How tides affect the beaches of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne

First of all, it's important to know! Tides do not depend on the time of day. This is a myth from bloggers who don't know how things really work. The time of tides depends on many factors and constantly changes, and is determined by forecast tables. We have such a table:

As for the influence of tides on the beaches of Mui Ne, the low tides here do not cause much inconvenience for swimming, except perhaps for individual shallow beaches, one of which is Sealinks. But even there, there are no particular problems with entering the water to depth even during strong low tides, you just need to walk a bit further.

Here you should rather worry about high tides, which on some beaches "eat up" the sandy strip, so that there is no space left for relaxation. More about this 📹 we told in our video, watch it to know!!!

Areas and beaches in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, and where to better choose a hotel

The resorts of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne are very heterogeneous and not as simple geographically as they seem at first glance, and as promotional guides tell about them. We have come across many reviews and talked with vacationers who were very upset about not getting what they expected from their vacation in Mui Ne. The whole point is that you need to choose the right place for the hotel, otherwise instead of a "party" center you may end up in a remote hotel on the outskirts without civilization. Or, conversely, instead of a quiet, secluded vacation on your own beach, you ended up in the very center of non-beach Phan Thiet. So here are some brief tips for starters:

✔ Where to stay

• If you want to be in the center of the most democratic tourist party, close to inexpensive shops, travel agencies, inexpensive (relatively) restaurants, cafes, and markets – choose the central Mui Ne beach or within walking distance from it.
• If you want to relax in a hotel with its own territory away from the hustle and bustle, noise, and overly active beach neighbors – choose a hotel southwest of Phan Thiet towards Ke Ga lighthouse on Tien Thanh beach, also known as Bikini Beach, or conversely on the east beyond Mui Ne village on Hon Rom beach.
• If you want to relax on a beach without waves and with shallow depth, then you won't find a better place than the Sea Links beach and complex.

❌ Where not to stay

• In the center of Phan Thiet you definitely should not stay for vacation, unless you just need to spend the night there for some reason, or if you are on a business trip.

Next, we present our detailed overview of each of the areas and beaches in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, but if you prefer to watch rather than read, here is our video with a full overview of all beaches and areas, and tips on choosing a place to relax:

• Central Mui Ne beach also known as Rang

  

  This is the most popular, most developed in terms of infrastructure, and most democratic in terms of prices and atmosphere place to stay. However, it is geographically not in the center of the Mui Ne resort area, but in its western part closer to Phan Thiet (central beach on the map). Along the beach for several kilometers, the majority of the resort's hotels, bars and restaurants, water activities, and water sports schools are concentrated. Here also is the maximum concentration of surfers and kiters on the beach.

  

  Here you can find very budget accommodation, you just need to move a bit further from the beach across the road, but there are also enough hotels with their own territory on the first line, where tours are also sold. In general, if you want to be in the very center of the fun, then definitely come here. If you want to find the most inexpensive accommodation, then come here too. Well, if you want silence and peace on a secluded hotel beach not strewn with surfers and kiters, then better choose another, quieter area.

  

  The beach itself here is wide, excellent for swimming during high and low tides. The water is mostly murky due to constant waves. On the shore, there are sunbeds and some water activities, but considering the length of the beach, it seems that there are almost no entertainment and infrastructure, as they are located at a great distance from each other. Almost the entire coastal strip here is densely built up with hotels, which diligently block passages to the beach through their territory from the main road, so if you stay on the second line across the road from the beach, you will still have to search for a place to access the beach. Another inconvenience – sometimes strong winds and a large number of kiters and surfers. For those who, on the contrary, catch the wind and waves, right on the beach there are many shops for renting and learning these water sports.

  For a more complete understanding, watch our videos on the channel:

  • 📹 Central beach in Mui Ne
  • 📹 How Mui Ne works and infrastructure in the center

• Eastern Ham Tien beach

  

  This is also part of the resort area, but is located a bit east of the center of the resort, closer to Mui Ne village (Ham Tien on the map). Prices here are lower than in the center, and generally, the further from the central beach, the quieter and calmer, but infrastructure outside hotels is a bit weaker, although within hotel territories you will feel excellent.

  

  But the really bad thing is that there is almost no normal beach here. The strip of sand is narrow, during high tide the water comes right up to the concrete reinforcements of the shore, and on land there is dirt and trash from fishermen's activities. Of course, individual hotels make their own artificial beaches here, and you can calmly come to relax on them from the side, but still, it's not the same as in the center. So if you decide to choose a hotel here, carefully read the most recent reviews about it and pay attention to whether there is a beach or how far to the nearest "swimmable" shore.

• Sea Links area and beach

  

  West of the central beach (closer to Phan Thiet city and the Cham Towers) at the exit from the resort area is the new modern, and one might even say elite, tourist area and beach Sea Links (Sea Links on the map). The area itself is a closed territory with hotels, apartments, and even villas for rent for vacation, and golf courses between them. In general, a cool area, but very expensive.

  

  The beach here is small, accessible to everyone, and in our opinion, the calmest in terms of waves. Even during strong winds and bad weather, when on other beaches it's not only dangerous to swim, but even just to enter the water, here in the enclosed bay the water is calm. By the way, you can get here from the center on bus #1.

  

• Mui Ne village and Sand Dunes

  

  Even further east from the resort area, already in Mui Ne village itself, you can stay in one of several hotels in the area called Sand Dunes Sandi Hills (Village and Sand Dunes on the map). But we cannot name any real reasons to stay here. There's no proper beach, no tourist infrastructure either, on the shore there's dirt, fishing boats, and nets. Unless you choose one of the expensive hotels with a pool and a beach section that the hotel maintains and cleans.

  

• Tien Thanh beach or Bikini beach

  

  The most secluded vacation, cleanest beaches and beautiful landscapes with almost complete absence of tourist infrastructure outside hotels – all this you will find on the very long beach and in the Tien Thanh area, lying southwest of Phan Thiet (Tien Thanh on the map). It is arranged approximately the same as the resort area in Mui Ne, i.e., a road along the beach with luxurious hotels with their own territory. But the problem is that there is very little infrastructure here and everything is very far apart. Vacationing here without rented transport is very inconvenient: you will have to order taxis all the time, or limit yourself to a "hotel-beach-hotel" type vacation, and nothing more. After all, there's nowhere to go for an evening walk here: around are either unfinished buildings, or conversely already abandoned hotels.

  

  However, in fairness, it should be said that a new resort area, NovaWorld, is developing here now; it's such a modern tourist town. So far, it is still under construction and resembles a "ghost town," but in a few years it may well become a new vacation center on par with Mui Ne, and unlike Mui Ne, designed according to modern standards, not like a village. Expensive villas and apartments on the first line, a wide strip of sandy beach, entertainment, and a modern promenade area.

  The NovaWorld area is increasingly becoming the center for local and international sports, cultural, entertainment, and traditional events. Here is the largest entertainment area in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, Fantasy World, which includes 5 theme parks: Wonder Hill, Safari cafe, Wonderland (water park), Dino park, Circus Land.

  At the same time, this area cannot be called budget. You won't find inexpensive accommodation here. Dining – exclusively in restaurants, although when approaching the area there are local cafes, but there are few of them and you will have to walk or drive far to them. The area itself is not densely populated and few people live there, because of this the infrastructure is not sufficiently developed: there are no shopping centers and stores, beach infrastructure. The vacation is assumed to be of the "beach-hotel" type.

  As for the beach, it's excellent here, very long and sandy, and almost wild. Although, it cannot be called clean along its entire length, but within the hotel areas and in the center of Bikini Beach it is cleaned, and there are even some amenities there.

  

• Ke Ga beach

  

  Ke Ga beach is generally the most remote and isolated place in the Phan Thiet area, more than 30 kilometers from the city center (Ke Ga beach on the map). About it, we can say simply: very far, nothing nearby, but a very beautiful sandy beach with rocks and with a view of the cape and the most picturesque lighthouse in Vietnam. But why come here for vacation specifically, it's hard for us to say. Unless you want to be far from civilization and other vacationers.

• Hon Rom beach

  

  The deserted Hon Rom beach (sometimes written Hon Ron) is located about 12 kilometers east of the center of Mui Ne on the road to the White Sand Dunes (Hon Rom on the map). You can get here by taxi, rented transport, and theoretically by bus #1, but we haven't seen this bus go further than the center of Mui Ne village, although it should.

  

  The beach here is cool – very long, deserted, practically wild. But there is no shade, and it can be a bit dirty. If you want to find a quiet and beautiful secluded beach near Mui Ne, you can go here. You can even be brave and set up a tent here. If you're not such an adventurer, then at least visit here for a few hours, or maybe even for a whole day.

  

  As for the area and accommodation, there are several expensive hotels with their own territory here. But in our opinion, this is not yet the place to stay for vacation. It's too remote here, there's nothing outside the hotels. In fairness, we note that, like Bikini Beach, a tourist town is being built here, and perhaps in a few years it will become more lively and interesting here, but so far there's nothing. 📹 Just in case, you can watch our video from this beach on the channel.

• Phan Thiet city

  

  In the center of Phan Thiet, there are many budget hotels, but there is no beach (center of Phan Thiet on the map). Accommodation here is suitable for business trips, not at all for beach vacation. If you prefer exactly beach vacation and evening walks in the tourist area, then you definitely should not stay here.

  

  But in fairness, it must be noted that Phan Thiet will still be an interesting and useful place for a day visit during your vacation. All urban infrastructure and transport hubs are concentrated here, there are two large shopping centers Lotte and Coop with large supermarkets where you can buy groceries, coffee, souvenirs, clothes inexpensively, as well as the Dien may XANH electronics chain store. And there are also several interesting attractions here: Whale Temple and several other iconic temples, at least four museums, locations with beautiful views. You can get to Phan Thiet from Mui Ne during the day on an excursion, by taxi, rented transport, or bus #1, and then walk around the city center on foot.

Map of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne with beaches and areas