Mui Ne is famous for its enormous red and white sand dunes. The 'red dunes' (doi hong) are conveniently located north of the main strip, but the 'white dunes' (doi cat trang), 24km northeast, are the more impressive – the near-constant oceanic winds sculpt the pale-yellow sands into wonderful Saharaesque formations. But as this is Vietnam (not deepest Mali) there's little chance of experiencing the silence of the desert.
Prepare yourself for the hard sell as children press you to hire a plastic sledge to ride the dunes. Unless you're very light, it can be tricky to travel for more than a few metres this way.
Quad bikes and dune buggies also destroy the peace. Expect some litter, too; periodically there's a clean-up, but the tide of plastic keeps returning.
If you're booking a sand dune tour be careful to agree on an itinerary, preferably in writing. We hear complaints, particularly about ‘sunset tours’ that are cut short with the sun high in the sky.
