Sandboarding...Vietnamese-style

While in Mui Ne, we heard a lot about the exquisite sand dunes that feature prominently in travel brochures. It was an unusual natural phenomenon for a tropical climate, so we decided to embrace nature's quirkiness and visit the famed dunes of Mui Ne. Our friendly resort proprietor helped us corral three motorbikes to take us to the dunes and back for a mere 45,000 VD ($3.00). Pretty good deal. We hopped on the back of the bikes and were taken through the heart of the town and its pleasant-smelling fish market, stopping briefly to capture some great pictures of the fishing boats returning in the setting sun.

Extremely unusual for a tropical climate, these sand dunes are famous among local and visiting photographers.

When we reached the sand dunes we were immediately confronted by 10 kids all carrying plastic sheets the size of cafeteria trays. They marched with us over the dunes and were persistent in showing us the best places to slide down. Kevin was the first to give into them and had promised three kids that he would slide down on their equipment. My little guy was about 11 years old and quite a salesman. His English was excellent and he used it to spin his way into convincing me to trust him – “no problem”, he’d say J. So there we were, three travelers and our pint-size guides sand-boarding and sand-sliding down these 30 foot dunes. It was a lot of fun and well worth the 5,000 VD (30¢). On our way back to our hotel, most of the sand we wedged into our clothes was dusted off by the fury of the motorbike ride and the sprinkling of rain. I think that in a few years, these kids will definitely figure out how to capitalize on this little venture of theirs.


Our little friends at the dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam.

Kevin experimenting with sandboarding.