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Vietnam is the traveler’s ultimate potpourri – an overwhelming medley of food, culture, rituals, destinations, and, most importantly, a history that is as chequered as it is enriched. An elongated country, it is blessed with a long fecund coastline, rain-laden highlands, and some of Southeast Asia’s most fertile plains drained by mighty rivers crisscrossing the country.
And what better place to start this country’s exploration than Ho Chi Minh City, eponymous with the father of the Nation who helped unify fragmented parts riddled with differing ideologies?
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While Ho Chi Minh City (HCNC) itself—an amazing blend of past and future—will take days, if not weeks, to explore, the outskirts and side trips from the bustling megapolis mark the beginnings of equally wondrous sojourns bound to keep you entranced. One such side trip we took was to Mui Ne, the Sahara of Vietnam. But destination aside, the journey itself has many wonders to admire and appreciate.
Ta Cu Mountains and the Sleeping Buddha
The road from HCMC to Mui Ne commences on National Route 1 – a fascinating highway showcasing the modernization that is helping in the resurgence of Vietnam as an economic powerhouse in this part of the world. The highway is flanked first by acres of rubber plantations, then with unending stretches of dragon fruit farms; this part is the largest producing region of dragon fruits in Vietnam, which, in turn, is the world’s largest fruit producer.
Within two to three hours of this smooth drive, you will reach Ta Cu Mountain, which has been artistically revamped to provide world-class infrastructure to a culturally rich hotspot. Besides large koi ponds brimming with multicolored koi, tastefully decorated gardens, hedges, and statue-lined parks, the key draw is a 1.6km Austrian Cable Car that provides a beautiful aerial view of the farms of dragon fruits all around before reaching a set of pagodas constructed towards the end of the 19th Century.
Read More: Exploring Vietnam’s Coastal City of Hoi An
The Biggest Buddha in Southeast Asia
These pagodas are topped with multi-tiered roofs and a smorgasbord of statues dedicated to the deities, including the lady Buddha and the laughing Buddha. However, the main attraction lies 300 steps away in the form of a 49m-long sleeping Buddha that is considered to be the biggest in all of Southeast Asia.
Built in the 1960s and therefore newer than the pagodas, the bleached statue will humble you both in size and philosophy as you can sit and wonder at the sereneness of the place that seems beautifully nestled in the hills surrounded by sylvan woods. The region has many more pagodas, walkways, and caves, all of which can be explored at leisure. There are ample eating spots and restaurants if you feel hungry after all the walks and steps.
Poshanu Cham towers
Further eastward, about an hour’s drive later, you will reach the ancient Poshanu Cham tower from the 8th century. More than a millennium ago, almost all of Southeast Asia was extensively influenced by Indian culture, with Hinduism and Buddhism dominating this region. Southeast Asia was so culturally aligned with Indian culture that it was called Greater India.
Angkor Vat is undoubtedly the most magnificent edifice from this era, followed by Ayutthaya and Bagan. Yet vestiges of Greater India are seen extensively in other places, including Vietnam. In this country, the Champa Empire was established on the lines of an Indian monarchy based on Hinduism, and scores of Indian Jones-like ruins are sprinkled all over the country.
One such remnant is the red-brick-layered Poshanu Cham Towers close to Mui Ne. There is not much, except three dilapidated towers dedicated to Hindu gods, but the very fact that these have been lying since the 8th century will make you re-gauge their importance and beauty. A war memorial lies nearby, and from the hilltop of these towers, you can see amazing views of the coastline leading to Mui Ne.
Mui Ne’s Red Sand Dunes
Another half hour’s drive will take you from the Cham towers to Mui Ne, as you traverse a long curvilinear bay dotted with golden beaches, fishing villages, and a slew of five-star luxury resorts, including the Centara Resort and Mui Ne Resort. Kitesurfing is incredibly popular here, with the perfect conditions inviting scores of tourists from abroad.
But the first aspect that will attract your attention as you enter Mui Ne is its large red sand dunes, which are filled with local visitors and vendors renting toboggans. Extremely scenic and perfect for catching the sunset just before you retire in your resort, the red sand dunes are the precursor to the much larger and more spellbinding white sand dunes, another 30 minutes away, which is Mui Ne’s biggest attraction.
Read More: The Magic of the Mekong Delta: From Vietnam to Cambodia by River Cruise
White Sand Dunes
Mui Ne’s expansive white sand dunes, flanked on one edge by towering windmills and small cobalt-colored lakes, are bound to mesmerize you. The dunes are humongous and best visited at dawn before the morning sun becomes so dazzling in the sand’s reflections that it becomes almost impossible to traverse these gargantuan hills of sand.
The dunes are best visited with either a monstrous ATV or any of the many candy-colored 4-wheel drives that will ferry you to the top of the dunes. We chose the ATV (with a guide) and enjoyed the added thrill of driving down steep dunes almost vertical, which are sure to raise anyone’s adrenalin.
Excitement aside, the dunes are overwhelming, almost poetically philosophical, and you can spend some time gazing at the grandeur of nature while humbling yourself. You can also walk down the dunes to the lakes and admire the intensely pink lilies that add a vibrant contrast to the otherwise bleached sands all around.
Desert Camel Ride
Or you can even take a camel ride and feel transported to some desert land next to the sea. As you return from the dunes, there are plenty of eateries to refresh yourself, multiple props to take those envious Instagram photos, and even an ostrich farm where you can tick the box of riding an Ostrich!
We spent a day at Mui Ne as a side-trip from HCMC, but the place is packed with adventures, luxury resorts, and gorgeous sunsets where you can easily indulge days (and maybe become a pro at either kitesurfing or ostrich riding or both!) The roads from Mui Ne lead north to the highlands of Dalat or eastwards to the treasures of Nha Trang, uncovering just the tip of the iceberg of experiences that is Vietnam.
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Author Bio: Ayan is a consultant by profession and loves traveling, writing and photography. He has travelled to over 30 countries and has published multiple books on travel and poetry.
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