You've likely never heard of Mui Ne (Moo E Nay), and a lot of others apparently haven't either. A beach town about 3 hours from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam has tried to develop this place from a fishing village into a seaside resort. They started to put a lot of money into it during the exceedingly well timed year of 2018.

Oops.

With COVID pretty much shutting down travel, Mui Ne suffered a lot. There are no shortage of resorts or restaurants, but it seems like they're barely hanging on. Often we were the only people anywhere, although hopefully that picks up for Chinese New Year. Because like most of Southeast Asia, especially in beach towns, the people here and incredibly nice, and it kills me to see them struggle. So if you're looking for a quiet beach getaway, good news! Mui Ne is ripe for the picking. And I guess we did want that after HCMC, but Mui Ne felt almost too quiet. We spent 3 nights there, and there were days where we didn't see more than 10 people. There were some more popular places, but it was definitely low season. Still, it was a nice time to just chill and enjoy the quiet, which was appreciated after coming from the city.

Gotta hate rush hour traffic.

Mui Ne is actually a bit strange, because a lot of beaches are quite rocky - except Ham Tien, the public beach. A lot of resorts get around this by essentially building a giant sandbox with the wall at the water line. I guess it's a beach if you want to pretend? Our hotel didn't do that and just built out to the water. I guess it's a tradeoff, because we didn't have a fake beach, but we did have a nice balcony to enjoy the view. I also quite liked falling asleep to the sound of waves, something I think would be difficult to hear if the building is set back 200 meters or so. But like everyone, to get a real beach we had to venture a bit. And overall, pretty nice! We spent time just walking there, along with plenty of beer and mango smoothies. Quality wise it's up there with a lot of Thai beaches, but as expected it was a little too quiet for me. I'm not looking for something like the insanity of Pattaya, but more than one shop selling drinks would be nice.

But there are a few other sights in Mui Ne to check out, so one day we arranged a tour to see them. All the tours start at 4:30 AM, so you can be at The White Sand Dunes for sunrise. And I'm going to go on record and say I do not understand the appeal of sunrise. You know what looks the same as sunrise? Sunset. And you don't have to get up, literally, at the butt crack of dawn to see it. And for what? One picture? Why?

But with no choice, we got up at 4 in the morning to meet our guide. And special thanks to the American taxpayers, as the vehicle for this journey was graciously provided by the US Military. An old jeep painted neon green because why not, the engine sounded like it was burning a Dubai worth of gasoline every second, and the suspension probably hasn't been looked at since the army left it. Despite the smooth roads, it was an extremely bumpy and loud 45 minute drive to the first destination. On the plus side, who needs coffee to wake you up when you have that?

 

When we got to the White Sand Dunes, it funneled straight into the ATV rental place, like it was assumed that's the only reason you're here. At 600,000 dong a go ($24), but we declined. The vendors told us we were crazy, that it was very far, and impossible to walk. And yeah, to the end of the tourist trail I reckon was a kilometer or so, which would be hard (but hardly impossible) to do in the fine sand. We got about halfway before noticing a very lovely spot and just stopping there. Off in the distance we could see the hill where everyone else went, and it was completely packed with people. So while their sunrise photos contain about 100 tired foreigners milling about, ours are without a single person for a half kilometer. So I think we got the better deal, because our photos are certainly better, and $24 can buy a lot of Beer Saigons.

After, our tour continued to The Red Sand Dunes and Fishing Village. There's really not much to say about those, they were quick stops for a photo. I gotta say though, despite the Red Sand Dunes being "not as good" as the White, I liked them more. There was less brush poking through, so depending on your framing it looked like you were in the desert, and not, you know, on some beach. But I'll let you be the judge.

 

For me though, the real star of Mui Ne was the last stop on our tour, The Fairy Stream. It's a little, well, stream, that runs through the middle of town. There's a spot where you leave your shoes so you can wade upstream for 30 minutes or so, and then walk back. The water is ankle deep at most, and aside from just a few rocky parts it's quite sandy, so being barefoot was pretty comfortable. Along the way there are some beautiful vistas, and even shops selling coconuts and snacks. So it's this weird sort of tourist "road", and I'm a big fan. For the cost of 0 dong, it's one of my favorite things that I've done in Vietnam, and I think barefoot river walks should be more of a thing.

 

 

 

 

But after Mui Ne, we planned on going to Dalat, a mountain resort town that is popular with honeymooners. However we didn't really find so much to do there, and after spending a lot of time doing nothing in Mui Ne, lazing about wasn't seeming all that appealing. After seeing the weather report that it would rain the whole time we were there we decided to skip it. We eventually had to get back to Ho Chi Minh anyway to catch a flight, so we decided to just go back there and spend a little extra time doing stuff we didn't get around to - I guess we are city people after all. A nice surprise was the bus going back. It was a "limousine sleeper bus", and I had no idea what that meant.

Guys.

Guys!

This is a travel revolution.

I had never been on a bus like this, and I love it. Why aren't planes like this? Why isn't -every- form of transportation like this? I wasn't even tired, but it was just so darned comfortable I fell asleep immediately. I guess the argument is they don't hold as many people as a regular bus, but with all the cots stacked on top of each other it can't be significantly less. The 4 hour trip felt like 4 minutes, cause this thing is a slice of heaven.

Back in HCMC fully rested, we went out to do some eating and shopping. We had one more full day here, so we decided to do a group tour to Cu Chi. About two hours outside of HCMC, it's one of the places where the Vietcong hid during the war. Our guide took us around, explaining what life was like,  and how the people fought back against the Americans and the South Vietnamese. You get to eat the food they subsisted on (cassava with peanuts, which was actually quite good). And then you finally get to go through some of the tunnels. It's a massive network, but we only went through about 20 meters of it. Because spoiler alert - it's very dark and stuffy. The Vietcong lived in these tunnels for years, which is just mind boggling. After 60 seconds I was already getting pretty sweaty, so, I think I'll pass. Ella would say hard pass, along with other choice words.

But after weeks of soaking up the heat, we're now back in Shanghai, where it literally snowed the day we came back. After being out for 3 weeks and hitting up 3 countries, I wouldn't mind some time at home before work starts. There are so many good photos from this trip, I had to leave a bunch out. They're all on Facebook if you'd like to see more.

 

 

Seeya next time, Vietnam.

If I had to make a list of all the places that had the largest impact on my life, Ho Chi Minh City would be near the top. Which is strange, because I've only spent about 5 days here before this trip - most of them buying dishes and cleaning supplies in one of the outer suburbs, Bien Hoa. Not because that itself was particularly impactful, but I had a job here and was settling into a new life. At least I was, for a short time, before I realized leaving Ella back in Bangkok was a mistake. Maybe it was the absolute craziness that is HCMC, and having nobody to share it with. Regardless, I, rather wisely in retrospect, turned tail back to Bangkok, and the rest is history. During that very short time here I only spent one day seeing the sights, with my fresh off the boat, likely traumatized roommate in tow. "Cross the street Vietnamese style - just walk, don't change your stride. The bikes will move around you." And like some sort of Vietnamese Moses, they do. But I suppose that could be hard to accept when you lived your whole life in a country with traffic laws.

Note the American flag

But this craziness is exactly what I like about Vietnam. It may be chaos to an outside observer, but to me, it's an amazingly choreographed dance where everyone naturally knows the steps. Just like Laos, I can't help but be impressed with the Vietnamese. They had their country devastated, again, by the US. Yet despite that, they routinely rank at the top of countries with the most positive impressions of Americans. Honestly, I don't know why. Maybe it's because they won the war against a vastly superior force, and they, rightly so, have a chip on their shoulder. Or the more likely answer, like all their neighbors, they embody the South East Asian spirit - who cares? Just relax, have a beer, and laugh about any problem that comes along. I'm jealous. Honestly. I almost wish I spent a year, or more here, in my formative years. Maybe I would learn to be less stressed, more happy. Or at least, I'd know how to make the best coffee in the world. But having already explored the middle and northern parts of the country on a previous trip, Ella and I find ourselves back here for about two weeks to see what the southern part has to offer.

And what it does have to offer is a constant party. I honestly expected HCMC to be pretty much like Hanoi. But it's actually more like Bangkok. We're staying near Bui Vien Walking Street, which reminds me of what Khao San Road used to be. Filled with gogo bars, roadside beer shops, elephant pants, dried fish salesmen, and surprisingly decent foreign food, it's pure craziness. But not in a debauchery craziness like Pattaya, in a giant party craziness. Everyone is smiling and having a good time - heck, there are even male gogo dancers (hooray for gender equality!) But hey, this is South East Asia. Again, just relax, have a beer, and roll with it.

In fact, I saw a T-shirt I wanted to buy, and the lady told me 350,000 dong (~$15). Knowing that this isn't even in the same universe as a fair price, I walked away. She yelled after me, "300k, 200k, 100k!!!" I went back and said "Okay, 100k" (~$4). She asked me why I didn't bargain. I asked her why she didn't give me a fair price.

"This is Vietnam. You must bargain."

Well, apparently not, because I got what I wanted. Scroll down to the photos to see me rocking a totally legit Starbucks T-shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

But unlike Laotian tuk tuks, this wasn't an aggressive offer. It was a "Okay, you played the game - now you get what you want." So after sharing a laugh, Ella and I continued our exploration of the city. I realized one notable advantage HCMC has over Hanoi is that it wasn't on the receiving end of the US Air Force. So there are a lot more intact colonial style buildings, that now are basically Instagram meccas -  like the Fine Arts Museum. Although, I couldn't tell you a single thing I saw in there. Granted I am the premier art idiot, but even Ella didn't seem exactly wowed by anything. But we both were wowed by the building, along with many other Vietnamese taking photos. They came ready, dolled up with makeup and traditional clothing. And I am wowed that everyone is just so ridiculously beautiful. Or maybe I just really like the Vietnamese Ao Dai. But we also got some photos in this pretty place, and realized we need to get Ella an Ao Dai. Later we would get one as a souvenir from this nice lady who hand makes her own, and yup, looks pretty awesome.

 

Speaking of looking good - Ella is very interested by a Vietnamese religion most have probably never heard of, called Cao Dai. It's definitely a unique take on things, and I'm nowhere near an expert - but as I gather, it's a sort of mish mash of all the major religions, Vietnamese folk religions, and other things you wouldn't expect blended together. Like, Jesus and Buddha are both worshipped, along with others like Sun Yat Sen, the founder of the Republic of China. Or what really threw me for a loop, Victor Hugo (yes, Hunchback and Les Miserables Victor Hugo) is one of the highest saints of all, who brought the word of god to Earth.

Mhmm. Well, that is a take.

What I do like about Cao Dai Temples though is that they are incredibly colorful. Sort of like Hindu temples, they slide that color saturation bar up to 11, and decorate everything with the most varied and vibrant paint they can find. It's really quite interesting look at, although some of the places didn't want us taking photos. The temples are also very vertical, with most having the main room on the 3rd or 4th floor. Finally they're divided in half, with men having to stick to the right side, and women the left. Overall, very unique places that are worth a look, if not just for the spectacle. They're certainly not on the tourist trail, but it's something that's totally free to look at and very Vietnam.

 

Not at the museum, but a bunker used by the Vietcong

But let's finally get to the elephant in the room - last time during my one day as a HCMC tourist I went to see the American War Museum. While I wasn't exactly thrilled to see it again, I do know it's an important thing for visitors to see, so we gave it a look for Ella's sake. Aside from some generously donated US military equipment outside, there's not so many "things" here - it's mostly photos and testimonials. And as expected, it's really hard to see. Not unlike the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, it's a gut punch. I'm not putting any photos here, for starters because it would mostly be photos of photos. But also the effects of Agent Orange is probably not something you want to see while drinking your morning coffee, or whatever it is you're doing now. But what I will say about Laos and Vietnam, is that the US were the bad guys here. And that isn't to dismiss all the terrible things done by the South or North Vietnamese, or taking into account that this museum probably is biased in some way. But there is no excuse for the immense cruelty inflicted on the people that live here. Some may say the ends justified the means. And I do have the benefit of hindsight, but I think it is something we should be more repentant about. Because if your strategy to win over people is to put others into a barbed wire box, you're on the bad side.

Oof. Well, that was pretty heavy. I think this is a good stopping point before our next journey to get some sunshine. Some photos, then:

 

My new favorite shirt

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not complaining, but lets end with a cat we found at a coffee shop. She has her own Instagram.