Sun, sea, sand & Sankara

Not having seen a decent beach since our summer holiday to Kos last year, Mr Amy was craving some R&R, so I duly booked us a few days in Mũi Né.  I’d already visited this little haven back in March during an all expenses paid staff trip with the school.  It’s a nice little spot, which lay largely unspoilt before the solar eclipse of 1995; when the coastline around Mũi Né & Phan Thiết provided the perfect viewing point on the south coast of ‘Nam.  Since then, high end resorts and water sports companies have sprung up all along the beach.  But it still retains a certain charm and peacefulness that I haven’t found on any other beach here.

Having scoured the internet a few weeks before Mr Amy’s arrival, I‘d booked a room at a centrally located, Aussie-owned place, close to a fair few restaurants and my favourite bar – Sankara.  On arrival, we found the English manager had a sea view beach hut available – newly renovated, we couldn’t resist.  A little luxury in paradise.

The view from our beach hut

If you’re not a kite surfer, there is little action in Mũi Né.  The two main sight-seeing spots are the Cham Towers (which I had visited back in March) and the Fairy Stream and waterfall which run between the sand dunes.  After sinking a few cocktails in Sankara to mark the end of day one, we opted for a relaxed wander and spot of fairy finding the following day.

Greeted by a small army of Vietnamese school children, who reminded me somewhat of Peter Pan’s lost boys, we found ourselves the target of yet another Vietnamese money making scam.  “No shoes: 3,000 dong to keep shoes” one of them says – because apparently you can’t walk down the stream wearing them.  I tell them it's fine, we’ll carry them.  “I guide you, very deep, dangerous, I know, I live here”.  I almost want to commend the small boy on his excellent, although broken English.  I tell him we’ll be fine and go it alone (also saving ourselves some money).  I’m sure it may be a little deep if you are a young, vertically challenged Vietnamese child, but at 6’ and 5’10” respectively, Mr Amy and I found ourselves paddling ankle deep in the water.

The Fairy Stream

After a few dreamy days filled with sun, sea, sand and sunbathing, it was time to return to Saigon.  Mr Amy departs this evening (volcanic ash clouds permitting) and it’s back to work for me this weekend.  So, our varied and thoroughly enjoyable three weeks comes to a close – and just in time as rainy season and summer school are both looming!

A xx