Kitesurfing Distributors and Shops in Mui Ne

There are two 18-hole golf courses in the area:

Ocean Dune is located in Phan Thiet and was opened in 1995.  As Sir Nick Faldo design, this course is starting to show its age but is a great resort golf course. The holes are mostly flat and early morning or later in the afternoon are the best times to play because it can get extremely hot.

The sea breezes tend to be at their strongest during the afternoon. The par 3 ninth hole has been voted one as one of the top 100 holes in the world.

Sea Links was designed in 2006 by Ron Fream of Golfplan and is often voted as the most challenging golf course in Vietnam.  It is worth the challenge because the views to the ocean, especially from holes 7 and 8 are spectacular. 

Both clubs have full facilities with excellent clubhouses offering local and international cuisine.  Cadies are mandatory and buggies are optional.  Ocean Dunes is an easier walking course than Sea Links.

Staying in Phan Thiet and Mui Ne

The Vietnamese tend to stay in the smaller hotels of Phan Thiet and the touristsand ex-pats will stay in the very popular holiday destination of Mui Ne.

There are more than 70 resorts located on the beach front, from two star to five star, plus restaurants offering local and international cuisine, with local seafood as the speciality of the area.  Prices are very moderate.  There are also many shops, spas and bars for relaxation and fun.

Sea Links and Ocean Dunes have their own hotels. Ocean Dunes is embraced by the Du Parc Phan Thiet Ocean Dunes Golf and Resort, with 123 spacious rooms, restaurant, pool and entertainment option including a private 1 km stretch of sand along renowned Eastern Sea beach. Sea Links also has villas and apartments for short term rental.

Practical informations

Prices at both golf courses are very reasonable and both golf courses offer special offers most of the time.  For example, twilight golf, after 2pm is available at Ocean Dunes for around $60.  It is best to check the websites, or get the Resort you are staying in to check current prices for you, as they change every month.  Both golf courses offer stay and play packages.

The Sea Links website is www.sealinkscity.com, Ocean Dunes is www.vietnamgolfresorts.com.

Golf is possible all the year round.  There are two seasons – hot and dry from October to March and hot and rainy from April until September.

Phan Thiet and Mui Ne are 200 kilometres north of Saigon and about 5 hours drive by road and 4 hours by train.

Writer: Simon J Tinkler

Since it’s opening in 2006, Sea Links has been the topic of conversation of many golfers in Vietnam. Located in the popular tourism area of Ham Tien, Mui Ne, Sea Links has been voted on many occasions as the most challenging golf course in Vietnam.  The writer has been involved with Sea Links since the appointment of the golf architect, Ron Fream of Golfplan. 

Ron reckoned that this was one of the last golf courses he would design – he was well into his 60’s by then and had already designed over 150 golf courses world-wide – and would make it the most challenging he has ever designed.  And he certainly has achieved that!

As a golfer who has played this links style golf course on many occasions, I can tell you I have lost many golf balls and for sure played well over my handicap most times.

So what makes this championship course so demanding?  When you first arrive at Sea Links, you have no idea what you have in front of you.  Your first view of the golf course is undulating fairways with beautiful views of the ocean.  The impressive club house and welcoming receptionists greet you with a smile.  You change in the large, well equipped locker rooms and then meet your caddie, waiting for you by your buggy. 

The driving range is to hand and provides the opportunity to warm up before you set out on your adventure.  The caddie will automatically take you to the blue tees, because, regardless of playing ability, these are the “Asian” tees – the ones which all Asians play off.  You do not want to appear inadequate and you make no indication to go to the fairer and more enjoyable white tees.  The forward or red tees are the least demanding, by the way.  You see in front of you fairways the like of which you have never seen before.  Severe undulations, huge bunkers and then the fear factor comes in.

Your caddie will tell you where to aim and you do your best.  Having got over your nerves, you then view the enormous greens, with awaiting bunkers.  And the greens are huge!!  The distance from the front to the back of the green can be a difference of two or three clubs.  But it is the bunkers that can destroy your game, especially the monster on the right hand side of the second green. 

When you arrive at the seventh hole, you will be amazed and delighted at the view over the East China Sea and with clear visibility, you can see the famous Ke Ga lighthouse.  The views will take away the difficulty of the hole, a dog leg right with out of bounds on the right and a bunker just where you would like to hit your drive to.  The eight hole, a par 3, has been voted as best par 3 in Vietnam and the sea breeze makes club selection very difficult.

There are no easy holes at Sea Links but I have to say, it is well worth the experience of playing.  Forget the rows of villas that make it look like a housing estate, ignore the condominiums that block the views and let yourself in for the challenge of a lifetime and I bet you will do like everyone else – come back and play the golf course again.

Because the next time you know you will do better, the same as everyone else.  One day I am going to tame this course and afterwards raise a glass of beer to the devil himself, Ron Fream.

It is heaven or is it hell?  Play the course and decide.  Let us know your thoughts!

Sea Links is located in Mui Ne and is part of the Sea Links City Group, with a hotel, villa and condominium complex.
www.sealinkscity.com

Saturday the 4^th of July saw the 5^th Annual Beach Volleyball Tournament, hosted at Jibes Watersport Centre, Full Moon Village Suoi Nuoc.

This year, seven well trained teams participated in the competition: Pandanus Resort, Jibe’s Water Sport Center, Ball Slappers, Victoria Resort, French Team, Takalau and Princess D’An Nam.

After a briefing from the referees on rules and regulations, the competition began at 10:00 am to the delight of the competitors and spectators under a sunny tropical sky.

A beautiful lunch was organized for competitors to get their strength back and relax, before completing the heats and starting the semi-finals and final.

Against all odds, Victoria team, great winner from last year, were knocked out by Takalau, and took 4th place in the ranking. Takalau, determined to honor its first participation, played hard and made it through each heat to eventually find themselves at the final. After defeating Princess D’An Nam, Takalau played the grand finale against Pandanus.

After a finale full of suspense and rebounds, Pandanus was finally the winner!!

Enthusiast volleyball players, professional, expat or Vietnamese ensured an amazing tournament. The 5th competition was full of emotion and suspense until the end, all the teams fought hard to win. 

After a great day of competition, the teams, spectators and sponsors gathered to give huge applause for all the effort put in by the competitors at the Awards Ceremony.

The day’s activities concluded with a Beach Barbeque and After Party where everyone dined and danced the night away. The perfect end to a great sporting event.

The 5^th Annual Beach Volleyball Tournament was a great success with motivated and well trained teams. Congratulations to the winners, Pandanus and all the teams who competed.

We would like to thank our referees, our speaker who animated the event, and all our sponsors for their generous contribution: Sea Links Golf, Whale Village Guest House, Full Moon Village, Coco Beach Resort, Marou Chocolate, Coco Cola, Le fruit, The Warehouse, AHI Co LTD, Tropical Mini Golf, Jibe’s Water Sport Club, Takalau Resort, The Cliff, and SEL company. 

We hope to see you all there again next year on the 2^nd of July 2016 for the 6^th edition of the Beach Volley ball Tournament.

The night life in Phan Thiet has evolved significantly over the past ten years. A decade ago, all the nightlife activity was in the city centre. However, as the tourist strip of Ham Tien grew and more resorts were opened, the nightlife scene also began to develop along the beach in order to serve the growing number of foreign tourists.

There are still four clubs in the city centre that cater mostly to the local community, but tourists in Ham Tien no longer have to travel into the city centre for night time activities.

Probably the most modern high-tech club is Paris Night Club Bar at k. 1, Duong Tu Van Tu in Phu Thuy ward. The lighting and physical facilities in the club are very high end and for those who like high energy dance clubs with very loud music, this place will fulfill their craving. The DJs vary from night to night and sometimes they have famous Vietnamese DJs doing stints at the club.

Image source: facebook.com/parisnightcafe

The Las Vegas Beer Club at 29 Vo Van Kiet in Phu Thuy ward is a typical Vietnamese disco club with very little or no seating. Guests are expected to stand at high bar tables and dance around the tables, rather than on a dance floor. There are lots of young waiters and waitresses in white shirts and bow ties pushing drinks. Although not as popular as the Paris Night Club Bar, this is a good place for male patrons looking for a little female company.

Vien Dong Club on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in Hung Long ward is like the Las Vegas Beer Club, where guests are expected to stand and drink at the tables. Like the other clubs, this has a lot to do with the type of license they have, which in this case, is as an adjunct to Vien Dong Restaurant. Sometimes the club has live singers on stage.

Image source: facebook.com/VIENDONG.CLUBB

MTV Huyen Trang Club at 9-11 Trung Nghi in Duc Nghia ward sometimes offers fashion shows and theme parties and is popular with locals celebrating things like birthdays, but most of the time it is a disco dance club with large projection screens behind the DJs. Located on the river, this club and it’s predecessor, MTV, which was on a nearby street, has been around for a long time.

The rest of the clubs are located in Ham Tien ward, which is where most of the resorts and hotels are located. Whereas the city centre clubs cater mostly to locals, the Ham Tien clubs cater more to the foreign tourists. The early evening clubs are located west of the Bo Ke area in Ham Tien, whereas the later clubs and those that stay open until the early morning hours are all located east of the Bo Ke area.

A good place to start the evening is at Joe’s Cafe, 86 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. The only place in Ham Tien with live music 365 days a year, Joe’s is a laid back restaurant and bar with an eclectic mix of furniture.

Image source: joescafemuine.com

Within walking distance and just west of Joe’s are two beach bars that close well before midnight. Although not as loud as at the disco clubs, they have good music and are nice places to enjoy a drink and watch the waves along the beach.

Sankara, 78 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, which opened in 2008 as a high end restaurant and club, has seen better days. However, it is still a nice place to chill for an hour or two with a drink. Just west of Sankara is VKS Beach Club, 68 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, which was formerly a late night club.

Image source: facebook.com/VKSBeachClub

However, part of the club washed into the ocean during a storm. The club closed and afterwards reopened only as a restaurant and beach bar.

After 10 P.M., take a taxi about three kilometres east to Pogo Beach Bar at 138 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. The American-owned club is popular with young tourists and it has hardly any Vietnamese patrons. It offers comfortable loungers on the beach and a nice combination of disco music styles, with periodic avante garde entertainers/DJs who sing along with their disco sounds.

A little less than a kilometre west of Pogo is the newest club on the strip: Twins Coffee and Lounge, 122A Nguyen Dinh Chieu. Regardless of the name, this is a high tech discotheque on the beach. It has a Vietnamese owner/manager and like some of its counterparts in the city centre that cater almost exclusively to the Vietnamese market, Twins will try to sell drinks by the bottle if anyone asks for branded liquors in their cocktails.

Image source: muinetourhotel.com

Next to Twins is Lineup Beach Bar and Lounge at 122 Nguyen Dinh Chieu. It’s a rather small venue, but it has an upscale feel. It is very popular with the Russian market, probably because it has a Russian manager.

A couple hundred metres west of Lineup is the most popular beach bar in Phan Thiet. The owners are a Hungarian man and his business partner; a Vietnamese lady. Dragon Beach Lounge & Club, 120/1 Nguyen Dinh Chieu has two entirely separate dance floors with different DJs and different styles of music. One dance floor and DJ stand is indoor and the other is outdoor, each with its own bar. On the weekends, the club provides both fire dancers and pole dancers who perform at the outdoor bar area. Plus, during the dry season, they offer bonfires on the beach. On Saturday nights it has a good mix of gay and straight Vietnamese, foreign expats and foreign tourists. The club stays open until 04:00 and is busiest after midnight.

Image source: facebook.com/DragonBeachMuiNe

Banner image source: thegioiclub.vn

Mui Ne is the most popular destination for water sports in Vietnam. Its consistent winds and geographical location attract ever-increasing, like-minded water sports fans from around the world.

However, Mui Ne was not always known for its wind and water sport activities. Let’s go back to 1995: no kite surfers to be seen, not a single windsurfer spotted planing across the waters of the beautiful, untouched bay of Mui Ne. But in December of that year a young Frenchman arrived with an addiction to windsurfing, conveniently based and working at the Novotel Resort in Phan Thiet less than 15km from Mui Ne Bay.

Pascal Lefebvre was one of the first to experience the potential and untapped wind conditions. We must remember there was not a lot of internet access back then in the local area, and the only people who knew of Mui Ne’s wind were the locals, who had never heard of windsurfing and had absolutely no interest in water/wind-based sports. In fact, for the locals the wind was more of an annoyance rather than something to be enjoyed.

Pascal, however, noticed on his first visits to the bay that the local residents had only really constructed buildings on the other side of the road along the beach. To a keen windsurfer that was obvious evidence of strong wind blowing from the sea to the land. Closer inspection of the wind-battered palm trees only confirmed his suspicions. He recalls having a meeting interrupted on the sixth floor of the Novotel building, windows violently rattling from howling wind at speeds of more than 30 knots.

The only problem for a keen windsurfer like Pascal was that there were no water sports shops, no rental centers and no water sports schools, meaning no way to get his hands on any equipment. That was until Pascal was introduced to Daniel Arnaud.

Daniel had opened a beachside resort in the heart of the bay called Coco Beach (one of only a handful of resorts in Mui Ne at that time) and luckily for Pascal, Daniel had some very basic windsurf equipment. From that moment Pascal could be found spending any free time rigging up equipment at Coco Beach and enjoying the entire bay to himself, a windsurfer’s paradise.

After travelling around Vietnam working for Victoria Resorts, Pascal took on a full-time position as general manager at Victoria Phan Thiet, a perfect location to witness the full force of Mui Ne’s wind. By this time he had managed to buy some second-hand equipment to use himself but always kept an eye open for more windsurf sails and boards. 

He was lucky enough to find a local resort that had imported some windsurf equipment, but due to a lack of knowledge it wasn’t getting used. Pascal was quick to buy everything the resort had and now found himself with enough equipment to run the very first windsurf competition in Mui Ne, if not Vietnam. It was named “The Fun Cup” and with only a handful of amateur riders the focus was on light-hearted enjoyment rather than serious competition. The event, although small, was a great success and added fuel to Pascal’s quest to promote Mui Ne worldwide. He created the very first windsurfing website for Vietnam, www.windsurf-vietnam.com.

On December 16, 2001 Jibe’s windsurf and water sports club was born. Pascal and his wife Phuong had taken the next step by opening the Full Moon Hotel and Jibe’s Beach Club in the heart of the bay. This provided windsurfers from all over the world with a place to stay and a centre to rent equipment. News spread fast about the venture and Mui Ne’s amazing wind conditions, and foreign /media as well as sports and tourism magazines began to take Mui Ne more seriously.

By 2011 Mui Ne was home to the PWA (Professional Windsurfers Association) World Windsurfing Tour, a widely recognized international event covered by the world’s sporting /media. The KTA (Kite Tour Asia) also held a number of events in Mui Ne and it’s only a matter of time before Mui Ne welcomes the PKRA (Professional Kiteboard Riders Association) events. Jibe’s hosted the 15^th Vietnam Windsurf Fun Cup with close to 40 international competitors, including local riders from Vietnam.

Mui Ne has come a long way from the days of a single, dusty road, oxcarts and the odd lone foreign backpacker. It is now firmly on the map as the best water-sport location in Vietnam, and one of the best locations in the whole of Asia, with a vast choice of accommodation, restaurants and nightlife. Kite surfing, windsurfing, classic wave surfing, stand-up paddling and sailing have brought this once sleepy little fishing village to life. In the middle of the high season (November-April) it is not uncommon to see more than 200 kite surfers on the water and sometimes in the air, but I can’t help feel a twinge of nostalgia for the old days when the bay was still a secret jewel in Vietnam’s beautiful coast line.

Author: Adie Casket