Last Updated: June 28, 2022
Sledging! Most people associate it with those cold winter mornings when you open up the curtains to see a blanket of white covering the streets. Before rushing to the shed to dust off the old sledge and head straight to the nearest park with the biggest hill.
Hot blistering sun and desert sands on the other hand, aren’t usually the first things that spring to mind. But at the Red Sand Dunes of Mui Ne this is exactly what you will encounter for a sledging adventure.
Being from the UK means we’re used to only get a few days of snowfall a year. Nowadays as we travel so much it’s even rarer that we get to drag our plastic sledge to the top of hills and slide down it for hours. So when we had the opportunity to do Sand Dune Sledging, we couldn’t pass it up.
This quirky and fun activity is a must for kids and adults when in Vietnam. It’s cheap, easy and so much fun for the whole family.
What are the Red Sand Dunes?
Sand Dunes are basically hills of sand that are formed over many years created by the wind blowing the sand into a sheltered area. The sands build up over time creating the dunes and are ever moving so the landscape changes constantly.
There are actually two main sand dunes you can visit when n Mui Ne. With the White Sand Dunes and the Red Sand Dunes. As the names suggest, the colours of the sands is what differentiates them.
You can see both or pick one. There are many tours will squeeze both into a day, with sunrise tours usually on offer for all the Instagrammers out there.
For us, sunrise tours have always left us a bit disappointed. And just tours in general can be a challenge sometimes with kids. So if you prefer to do it all at your own pace and DIY it, then this post is for you.
Whilst the White Sand Dunes are larger and, some say, more visually attractive. Sledging isn’t practised as much here. Instead, driving quad bikes or jeeps across the dunes seems to be more the activity of choice here.
We felt the Red Sand Dunes were a better choice with kids. Being closer and easier access from Mui Ne and with the sledging being something we knew we would all enjoy. So the Red Sand Dunes is where we will focus our energy for this post.
Where to Stay for Visiting the Red Sand Dunes
Mui Ne is a small coastal fishing town within close proximity to the Sand Dunes and your best base for visiting them. Once very quiet, it’s become very popular with tourists over the years and so is now full of hostels and hotels. But don’t let this put you off, as it’s a great spot to visit.
The Sand Dunes aren’t the only reason to visit, with the beaches here some of the best in Vietnam. If you’ve ever wanted to try kite surfing (or even if you’re already an expert) Mui Ne is a very popular spot to partake. There are lots of companies offering hire and classes down on the beach.
As it’s become more and more popular there are numerous hotels and hostels to choose from, dotted all about the Mui Ne area. With lots along the main coastal road and many clustered on on the big Mui Ne Hill. With many Vietnamese restaurants and cafes squeezed in between.
One of the most popular is Mui Ne Hills Backpackers. Whilst this primarily aimed at young, single, backpackers with manly cheap dorm rooms, it does also offer some family rooms. Which were really nice and spacious. And it also offers 5 pools and a jacuzzi! Although you may only have access to certain ones depending on your booking type. But usually all for under £20 on booking.com, it is pretty good value for money.
How to get to Mui Ne
If you’re coming into Vietnam internationally, then Saigon is probably your best bet for entering to then get over to Mui Ne from there. Whether you’re entering by air, train or road, Saigon is very well supported with a major international airport. It also has a major train station and coach station, which serves lots of routes in from Cambodia as well as domestic travel.
Once in Saigon, it’s then very easy to get to Mui Ne. Coach is probably the simplest option, with direct routes in vast supply from Saigon, taking around 5 hours.
Your accommodation will probably be able to sort this out for you if you ask or head to one of the many many agents dotted around the city to get a bus sorted. You shouldn’t pay more than 200,000 VND (£6) per person from Saigon. Coaches are easily available from other areas of Vietnam as well if you’re not coming in from Saigon.
Train is also an option, although you cannot get to Mui Ne directly as it has no station. So you will need to head to Binh Thuan Railway Station and then get to Mui Ne from there. There are some trains that go a little further to Phan Thiet station, although these seem to be in fewer supply. The journey takes approximately 4 hours from Saigon and should cost no more than 300,000 VND (£10) per person. The station will serve other areas if you’re coming from the north and the sleeper trains run to Binh Thuan if you are coming from further afield such as Hue.
Binh Thuan station is about 40km then from Mui Ne. So a taxi ride or a local bus will then get you the rest of the way. A taxi being about another 300,000-500,000 VND, depending on your bartering skills!
Getting from Mui Ne to the Red Sand Dunes
There are numerous ways to get to the Red Sand Dunes from Mui Ne. Tours, Jeeps, Bus or Taxi.
As previously said, the Jeep tours usually incorporate both the White and Red Sand Dunes plus some other attractions like the fairy pools. But if you are looking to just hit the Red Dunes then a tour is probably not for you as you will struggle to find one without all the attractions incorporated.
The Red Sand Dunes are only a few km from Mui Ne and just off the main road. So a tuk-tuk or taxi should be less than 100,000 VND depending on exactly where you are.
You can easily flag a taxi when in Mui Ne, then make a deal with the driver to pick you up again later. Or see if your accommodation will sort it (but this will likely inflate the price).
If you have wheels of your own then the route is a pretty simple one with just one main road all the way and not too much scary traffic to contend with. And there is plenty of parking when you arrive.
Hiring a Sledge at the Red Sand Dunes
Once you are at there you can then hire a sledge off any of the sellers. Lots of kids try their luck and can sometimes be a bit pushy, so just be firm but fair.
You shouldn’t really pay more than 100,000 VND (£3) per sledge.
The ‘sledges’ are basically just glorified sheets of thin plastic, with some rope attached to hold onto. But they do the job all the same.
We hired ours off a lady who was great and showed us the best places to sledge and the the best method for getting the speed up.
Just like sledging on the snow, the walking back up continuously can get tiring. That’s why it might be a good idea to hire half the sledges you need per person so you can have breaks. So if there are 4 of you, maybe just 2 sledges is enough and then you can take it in turns.
Sledging on the Red Sand Dunes
Now you’ve got your sledge the fun begins!
If you have someone helping you, like we did with our friendly Vietnamese lady, they will show you some of the best places to go for getting the most out of the sledge. But let’s face it, it’s not rocket science. The steeper and longer the hill the better the ride will be!
One thing you can do to make the sliding faster is is to scoop some loose sand onto your runway before you set off down, this will give the sledge an additional loose service to slide over, to pick up some speed. You can use the sledge as a shovel to do this.
Mix things up and try different hills and areas. As the sand shifts regularly there isn’t a particular spot that people can tell you is best, as the sands will be different each day. So just go with your gut.
It really is a lot of fun and in the end it seemed to be me and Nadia hogging the sledge and having more of the fun compared to the kids!
I even tried a bit of sand-boarding with the sledge. Massively crashing and burning I should add!
Once you and the family have had your fill find whoever you get the boards off and hand them back. It’s worth just having a walk round as well as the scenery is stunning and you can get some great pictures before heading home for a well earned rest.