Lauren –
We were a little sad to be leaving Hoi An, it had been really nice to be based somewhere for over a week and not constantly on the move. But we (especially David) were excited to visit a well known kitesurfing destination in Vietnam – Mũi Né!
We drove through the torrential rain at 5am to the airport and boarded our flight to Ho Chi Minh. We barely had time to look out the window of our taxi and take in the sights and smells of Ho Chi Minh before we were dropped off at the train station ready to board our 3 hour train to Mũi Né. The train was an interesting experience…not particularly comfortable and a lot longer than the 3 hours advertised.
We had heard that Mũi Né was a favourite with Russian tourists as there was a direct flight from Moscow and no visa was required, but we had no idea that it would feel like a tropical little Russia! As we made our way to our hotel we noticed that every sign was in Russian and all we could hear around us were Russian tourists!
Our hotel was right on the beach and had a really great vibe, although it was still low season and there was hardly anyone around. We had a minor falling out with our taxi driver who tried to rip us off on arrival and charge us more than we had agreed. After 10 minutes of arguing David was ready to cave but I stuck to my guns!
We spent the afternoon getting our bearings and sorting out some kitesurfing lessons for the next day. David was very excited for me to try his favourite watersport (I was a little nervous that the kite would pull me meters into the air and drop me back down onto the hard sand!). But I needn’t have worried.
The next few days were spent in the sun learning how to kitesurf. The beach wasn’t the best we’d seen, but it was super windy and the instructors were very friendly. My first 2 hour lesson was on the sand learning the basics of flying the kite.
I was better than I had initially thought and actually enjoyed learning all the intricacies of flying. My instructor said that if I came back the next day he would take me into the water! This was much harder, and David enjoyed watching as I went into the sea with my (rather uncool) getup of a helmet, harness, life jacket and water sunglasses (I instructed no up- close photos!) to learn how to fly the kite in the water.
I was able to get to the stage of learning the water start, and hopefully when we are next in a spot with enough wind I can pick up my lessons where I left off. David hired the kiting gear too and spent an afternoon doing a few tricks – although he said he was a little rusty.
Mũi Né was an interesting place. It was fun for a few days, especially because I learnt the basics of kitesurfing, but it wasn’t the type of place we’d come back on holiday. It seemed only catered to Russian tourists, shopkeepers seemed only interested to talk to you if you were Russian, and the food scene was pretty non-existent. There was an outdoor food court right near our hotel which we ate at every night!
Next stop Ho Chi Minh!
Far Away From Home 