March 2004

Vietnam

by Rebecca Teo

Dig your heels into the sand of Vietnam

This winter has been cold and miserable. I can’t think of a better way to beat the chills than to head toward the equator for some sun, sand, sea and for the more adventurous, the surf.

First you have to get yourself to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). It will be a long road and a little expensive but well worth it, so plan on as much time as possible to get the most for your travel time and money. Airfare will set you back about $1000 US and the flight from Minneapolis will be about two stops and 20 hours. I know, you’re thinking, “why would I pay that much and fly that far just to see a beach?” But, trust me, the prices once you arrive will more than make up for the expense of getting there and the sites will give you a lifetime of amazing memories. Check out www.travelocity.com or www.expedia.com for prices and airlines. If you have a flexible schedule, it would be well worth your time to place a bid on www.priceline.com and get a fare that fits your budget. Once you arrive you are just a step away from paradise.

The quickest way to get to your little piece of paradise would be to hop on a bus, which takes you from Ho Chi Minh to Mui Ne in about 4 hours. Most of the accommodations are by the beach and you can take your pick from cheap, quaint little cabanas ($25) to luxurious resorts ($100+) aimed to empty your wallets. It wouldn’t matter where you stay because they all share the same stretch of fine, white sand. It just depends on how much money you have to spend and how pampered you want to be.

If you’re a sun worshiper and are content to stay on the beach and bake for your whole vacation, by all means do so, but there are also many other activities to indulge in! One of the biggest hits with most tourists is the sand dunes. I’m quite sure some people have taken pictures, shown them to friends and bragged about having been to the Sahara!

A visit to the Fairy Spring (Suoi Ten) can be pretty worthwhile too if you can find it. It is a stream that runs through some of the dunes that you can follow from the sea to the source or hire a local guide who knows exactly where it is. Either way, pack shoes. Even though much of it can be walked barefoot, the dunes can become unbearable on the soles of your feet during the hot daytime hours. There is also a fishing village at the tip of the Mui Ne Peninsula where you can turn your trip into an enriching experience. You can always mingle with some of the friendly locals, find authentic Vietnamese meals and maybe buy some nuoc mam, a fermented fish sauce with a distinctive fragrance that will keep some of those annoying tourists at bay.

Motorbikes can be rented out for you to explore Mui Ne on your own but road signs and maps are almost non-existent so you may get lost once in a while. It doesn’t matter if you do get lost, however, because the friendly locals will try to point you to the right direction. After you’re done with the sightseeing and you feel you still need more action, try kite boarding, run by Jibes or trekking, canyoning and rock-climbing headed by Action Max.

At the end of your trip, before leaving Mui Ne, you must to get up early to catch the amazing sunrise and marvel at the sight of fishermen returning with their catch. It will be worth losing a little sleep to have that image of the fishermen with a marvelous sunrise in the background etched permanently in your mind.

...Now That's Theskini!::permalink


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