The Ultimate Guide to Mui Ne Surf

Mui Ne has some of the best surf in Vietnam. That’s not saying all that much, but you do get rare point breaks and consistent beach breaks in this resort town.

Mui Ne is probably the second-best surf destination in Vietnam after the city of Danang, which gets strong and regular beach break waves from the NE monsoon. This one, too, relies on the monsoon windswells of November to March but it’s got slightly different wave options.

The town is a long, strung-out resort that’s not the prettiest to look at. It’s basically a line of small hotels on the shoreline with pools that spill onto the white sands and South China Sea, with big gaudy resorts dominating masses of square meterage on the other side of the highway.

But there is a smidgen of charm to the heart of it, an area known as the Mui Ne fishing village, where you can see traditional Indochinese coracle boats and attend the pungent seafood markets.

Surf wise, there are two sides to the town that work on differing swells. If it’s big, head to Little Buddha, which has a pretty decent, bowly, playful left hand point break. If it’s smaller – as it usually is – go to Main Beach to pick up mushy beach breaks.

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>>This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Vietnam

Mui Ne surf at a glance

The good…

One of the most consistent destinations in Vietnam
One very decent point break (when it works)
Great for beginners

The bad…

Windy
Lacks consistency

Where is Mui Ne?

Mui Ne is in South Vietnam. It’s about halfway between the big coastal city of Nha Trang and the biggest metropolis in the country, Ho Chi Minh City.

The town is actually strung out along a single road that runs north-to-south along the main beach and then turns to go westwards through the old center, which is known as Mui Ne Fishing Village.

It’s easy to get to Mui Ne – it’s a major beach and vacation hub these days.

Most people will take the train from Ho Chi Minh to Binh Thuan and then change to a taxi from there. Make sure you pre-book that since it’s on the popular coast line and might get full in the peak season.

The closest airport is actually Lien Khuong Airport in Da Lat, a mountain town further inland. It could make a nice visit – Da Lat has coffee farms and amazing karst scenery – before a transfer to the coast.

We’d avoid so-called VIP buses. They’re long, super uncomfy, and with train options, unnecessary to boot.

Mui Ne surf spots

If you check the map, Mui Ne has beaches that face both east and south. That means it’s got options that work on a variety of swells, including E typhoon pulses in dry season and NE monsoon windswells.

Hon Rom

The huge Hon Rom headland is battered now by years and years of industrial quarrying. It’s the far north end of Mui Ne’s main beach; the more undeveloped and unvisited side of the resort. There are rumours that it’s home to one of the longest lefts in Vietnam.

We can’t vouch for that but can say that it’s definitely a fickle wave. You need good NE swells pushing in here to wrap around the bulbous bottom of the rocks and then to twist in. We’ve seen it working but the walls lack power that it rarely connects and offers rides of more than 50m. Worth checking if it’s 5-foot+.

Malibu

Don’t get too excited, Malibu was not named because it has anything in common with SoCal’s best-loved point break. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a more different break…

This one’s a mushfest, where peak after peak of power-lacking beach break rolls into brown-white sand. What it lacks in quality it makes up for in consistency, as the west-facing orientation means that you get waves here when there’s nothing at all on at the Hon Rom point or Little Buddha.

It’s seen as a very consistent spot for learners and local surf schools. There’s lots of room to go around and the vibes are fun.

Malibu suffers from winds and closeouts when it gets big.

Little Buddha

Kinda’ closer to Phan Thiet than to Mui Ne, Little Buddha is nonetheless very much on the tourist beach strip that runs the whole way between the two places. It’s official name is Bai Bien Tu Lam (Tu Lum Beach), located right in front of the massive Sea Links Country Club.

Although it’s a south-facing beach, Tu Lum is exposed across the bay to the west. That lets in enough NE monsoon swell and E typhoon swell to get decent left handers that form like a point on the concrete clusters that make the breakwater at the eastern end of the bay.

When it’s on, this is the single best break in the whole Mui Ne area. It’s slow and bowly, like something out of south Sri Lanka. The shoulder can get hollowish at the start of the ride and we’ve even seen rare Vietnamese barrels – mini ones – get hit on the initial section. Beginners can sit in 20m on the shoulder and pick off the mellower walls as they head towards the beach.

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When to surf in Mui Ne?

Surf in Mui Ne when the NE monsoon is on, which means coming between November and March. That will offer up the best chances of getting swell, but it’s still not guaranteed.

The dry-season of June-August can work too. You need strong typhoon systems to push swell through from the Pacific. It’s rare because it means the channels need to line up with a gap in the Philippines to get to the Vietnamese coast. If it does happen it will probably be the best swell of the year in Mui Ne. Don’t rely on it though.

Where to stay when surfing in Mui Ne?

There are tons of hotels in Mui Ne and some of them are simply horrid – think city-sized resorts with zero character. Here are the ones we like to return to…

Red Sands Pool Villa – Lovely stone-built rooms with a sort of Mexican feel to them plus a warm welcome make this a great choice away from the tourist hubbub of central Mui Ne. Gets you right on the left that can work on the Hon Rom head, but also within easy scootering of main beach.
The Cliff Resort & Residences – Sat above the Little Buddha right hander, this is a very classy hotel with great views and amenities within walking distance of the town’s top surf spot. Pool is a cracker.
EVA HUT Mui Ne Beach Hostel – Bargain-friendly rooms right on the main beach near the Fishing Village are on offer here. They’re a bit boho-chic and there’s a good backpacker vibe, especially in the bar space.