Mui Dinh

Mui Dinh is a headland south of Phan Rang in Ninh Thuan, the driest province in Vietnam, and the landscape is accordingly unlike the rest of the country: sand dunes running down to the sea, granite boulders piled on the slopes, cactus and thorn scrub, and almost no vegetation otherwise. A lighthouse built by the French in 1904 stands on the point, reached by a track and then a climb up steps. The dunes below are used for sandboarding and camping. Wind is constant here, which is why the province carries most of Vietnam's wind farms, and shade is nonexistent.

Highlights

• Dunes running to the sea - in the driest province in Vietnam.
• Granite boulders and thorn scrub - the rest of the landscape.
• A lighthouse of 1904 - built by the French on the point.
• Constant wind - which is why the wind farms are here.

When to go

November to April; midsummer is brutally hot. A full day.

Things to know

There is no shade anywhere and the sand gets extremely hot. The walk to the lighthouse is exposed. There are no facilities. Water must be carried. Camping here is done without infrastructure.

Nearby

Ca Na is south; Phan Rang and Bau Truc are north.

Key facts