Is it better to visit Mui Ne or Phu Quoc?

Mui Ne and Phu Quoc are popular beach destinations in Vietnam, located close to Ho Chi Minh CIty. Mui Ne is a small beach town, known for its good beaches, kite surfing activities, and beautiful sand dunes.

Phu Quoc is a large island located at the southern tip of Vietnam, known for its white sandy beaches, tropical climates, and wide range of luxury world-class resorts.

In this article, I will compare Mui Ne and Phu Quoc to help you decide which destination is better for your visit. I will outline the differences and similarities of these two places, based on their location, accommodations, nightlife, beaches, shopping, food, and attractions.

I’m Vietnamese who have traveled around the countries, visiting many places, including Mui Ne and Phu Quoc, so I can share my opinion from my personal experiences.

Should you visit Mui Ne or Phu Quoc?

I visited both places during my one month trip around Vietnam. I traveled from Ho Chi Minh to Phu Quoc, then back to Ho Chi Minh, caught a bus to Mui Ne, then went to Da Lat, Nha Trang, the Central region, and finally to North Vietnam.

I would recommend visiting Phu Quoc if you’re first-timers to Vietnam who want to enjoy beautiful beaches, tropical climates, a wide range of activities, and luxury resorts.

The beaches in Phu Quoc are generally better than in Mui Ne, so if you want a great beach holiday, Phu Quoc has more beaches for you to explore.

It has an international airport, making it easily accessible by air. There are frequent flights from major cities in Vietnam to Phu Quoc such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Additionally, the island also has several direct international flights from Asia countries.

Phu Quoc is a more popular tourist destination than in Mui Ne. It’s widely recognized in Vietnam and overseas for its white sandy beaches and world class resorts.

Phu Quoc has a free visa exemption, which means you don’t need to apply for a Vietnam visa if you fly in and out direct to and from Phu Quoc. This special policy aims to boost tourism on the island and provide convenience for many travelers.

Mui Ne is a small beach town, located around 3 hours drive north of Ho Chi Minh City. The city is an ideal weekend getaway for those who are staying in Saigon. It’s also a great stop if you’re traveling or backpacking around Vietnam.

If you want to go kite surfing, exploring the stunning sand dunes, fairy stream, and colorful fishing village, Mui Ne is a place for you. Mui Ne does not have an airport, so traveling to this beach town requires more time on road, either by trains or buses.

Both Mui Ne and Phu Quoc are great beach destinations for relaxing and unwind. If you want a small compact beach town, Mui Ne is the place to go. If you want a big island experience with easy accessibility and lots more activities and attractions, Phu Quoc is the better option.

Top hotels and resorts in Mui Ne:

Luxury: The Anam
Mid-range: Bamboo Village Beach Resort
Budget: Lac House

Best resorts and hotels in Phu Quoc:

Location and How to Get There

Both Mui Ne and Phu Quoc are located in South Vietnam. Mui Ne is located around a 3-4 hour drive north of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s close to Da Lat and Nha Trang.

Phu Quoc is located in the very south of Vietnam, around 45 minutes flight from Ho Chi Minh City, and around 2 hours flight from Hanoi.

Phu Quoc is easily accessible by airplane and by boats. It has an international airport, located at the southern part of the island, and Bai Vong Port, located on the south eastern coast of the island. From the airport, and the pier, you can easily get a taxi to your hotel.

If you’re taking ferries to Phu Quoc, you can catch it at either Rach Gia or Ha Tien Port in mainland Vietnam. The boat ride is generally around 3 hours.

Mui Ne does not have its own airport. To reach this beach town, you can take the bus or the combination of bus and train. The closest train station to Mui Ne is Phan Thiet Train Station, located around 30km away from Mui Ne.

Accommodations

Both Mui Ne and Phu Quoc have a wide range of resorts for all budgets and preferences. Phu Quoc offers more options when it comes to luxury, world-class resorts.

You are also able to find budget backpacker hostels and mid-range guest houses in each place. Budget accommodations usually are located more inland while luxury resorts are on the beach front.

In Phu Quoc, you can find budget hotels in the main town, and luxury resorts along the second area of Long Beach, Khem Beach, or Ong Lang Beach.

In Mui Ne, the main tourist area is Ham Tien ward, particularly Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Huynh Thuc Khang street. These streets run parallel with the 11km long Mui Ne Beach.

In both Mui Ne and Phu Quoc, accommodations often come with outdoor swimming pools, spa centers, onsite bars and restaurants. Many resorts offer an all-inclusive experience.

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Beaches

I personally think that Phu Quoc has better beaches than Mui Ne. The island also has many beaches to explore. Additionally, you can take island hopping tours to explore many more secluded beaches at nearby small islands.

You can enjoy swimming, sunbathing, watching the sunset, and try some watersport activities on the beaches in each place. If you want kite surfing and windsurfing, Mui Ne has better water and wind conditions to do it.

The main beach of Mui Ne is Mui Ne Beach, running around 12km in Ham Tien ward. The beach is packed with resorts, seafood restaurants, and cafes.

The main beach in Phu Quoc is Long Beach, a 20 km long beach running on the west coast of the island, all the way from Duong Dong town to An Thoi.

The northern part of the beach offers easy access to restaurants and bars in the main town while the southern part is the cluster of luxury resorts.

To the east coast of the island, you can explore Bai Sao beach and Khem Beach. Bai Sao beach, in my opinion, is the best beach in Phu Quoc, with white fine sand, clean water, and laid-back atmosphere.

To the north of Duong Dong town, you can find some quiet beaches such as Ong Lang beach, Cua Can Beach, Ganh Dau Beach, Sao Beach, or Ham Rong Beach.

Nightlife

Both places have laid-back nightlife with some beach bars, cafes, and clubs on the beach at sunset. You can also enjoy seafood BBQ or romantic meals on the beach.

The nightlife of Mui Ne is centered around Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, with bars, restaurants, and a night foot course. Dong Vui food court is a great place to check out for the dinner meal.

The center of nightlife in Phu Quoc is in Duong Dong town and part of Tran Hung Dao street that runs parallel with the northern part of Long Beach. These areas have good selections of restaurants, street food stalls, and bars.

Outside of the main town, you can enjoy the meals and drinks at your resort’s onsite restaurants and bars.

Duong Dong town is home to Phu Quoc Night market, which is a huge night market, where you can find a big food section for seafood and local Vietnamese dishes.

Shopping

Both Mui Ne and Phu Quoc are not well-known shopping destinations in Vietnam. But you can find some typical Vietnamese souvenirs and local specialties in these places.

Ham Tien Market is located in the center area of Mui Ne and is a great place to experience local daily life. You can find meat, fish, dry seafood, vegetables, fruits, and souvenirs at the market.

Phu Quoc has a huge night market in Duong Dong town, where you can buy souvenirs and local specialties such as fish sauce, pepper, sim wine, pearl jewelry, or honey. There are also many farms that offer products for sale while you’re visiting.

You can also find tourist shops on Tran Hung Dao street. The King Kong Mark here is a popular place to do shopping and buy souvenirs from Phu Quoc.

Food

Both Phu Quoc and Mui Ne are beach destinations, so you can find fresh seafood dishes in these places. You can choose the fresh seafood from the tank and the restaurants will cook it for you.

Mui Ne has many seafood restaurants overlooking the sea along Nguyen Dinh Chieu street. In Phu Quoc, there are a good range of seafood restaurants all around the island, and the street food stalls selling seafood at Phu Quoc Night market.

In Mui Ne, I like to have a meal at Dong Vui foot court. They have many dishes to choose from, including Mexican, seafood, Vietnamese, Japanese… The food here is affordable and tasty. I enjoyed my meal with dragon fruits or grilled fish.

In addition to typical Vietnamese food, Phu Quoc is known for its local dish called Bun Quay. It’s Phu Quoc style noodles with seafood. I recommend trying this dish at the Bun Quay Kien Xay restaurant. They have two branches in Duong Dong town and on Tran Hung Dao street.

Cultural Attractions

Both Phu Quoc and Mui Ne have some good historical and cultural attractions to explore. Phu Quoc has some Buddhist temples and a prison revealing the island’s wartime past. Mui Ne is home to a colorful fishing village, Cham temple, and close proximity to Ta Cu Mountain.

Major cultural attractions in Phu Quoc include the Dinh Cau Temple, Ho Quoc pagoda, or Phu Quoc prison.

Dinh Cau Temple is a local temple located in Duong Dong town. It is set on a small rocky island and is a beautiful place to watch the sunset and take in the view of the sea.

Ho Quoc pagoda is the Buddhist temple located on the east coast of the island, just a short ride from Bai Sao Beach. It’s a peaceful place to visit, home to a big lady Buddha statue. The complex has stunning views of the sea.

Phu Quoc prison was built by the French colonialists, but later used by South Vietnam during the Vietnam War to hold prisoners of war and political dissidents. Many prisoners were subjected to severe torture, hard labor, and cruel living conditions.

When visiting the prison, you can learn see Prison Cells, Torture Devices, cages, and tunnels to learn about the history of the Vietnam War.

Additionally, you can visit the floating fishing village Rach Vem, as well as many farms such as pepper farm, pearl farm, sim wine farm, honey farm, or fish sauce factory.

In Mui Ne, you can visit the Po Sah Inu Cham Towers, to learn more about the Cham civilization and their impact on Vietnamese culture.

Mui Ne Fishing Village is also a great place to visit to take photos with local fishing, trading the seafood, and colorful round boats.

Ta Cu Maoutain, located 1 hour drive from Mui Ne, is also an international cultural destination in the area. You can hike or take a cable car to the top of the mountains, where you can explore a temple complex with peaceful forest, stunning views and many Buddha statues.

Outdoor Activities/ Day Trips

The water activities are the main outdoor activities in Phu Quoc and Mui Ne. In Phu Quoc, you can take boat trips to smaller islands nearby for more crystal clear water for snorkeling and diving. Mui Ne is famous for its kite surfing and wind surfing activities.

White Sand dunes Mui ne — White Sand dunes Mui Ne

The red and white sand dunes near Mui Ne are a must-visit. You can explore these unique dunes by quad bike, jeep, or sandboard. You can sit back and enjoy the thrilling drive on the sand on an ATV bike, or drive it by yourself.

Another popular natural attraction in Mui ne is the Fairy Stream, or Suoi Tien in Vietnamese. You can walk barefoot along the shallow stream and enjoy the views of the interesting rock formations and beautiful, colorful sands.

In Phu Quoc, in addition to the beaches and island hopping tour, you can explore the waterfalls, especially if you are visiting in the rainy season. Suoi Tranh Waterfall and Suoi Mo Waterfall are must check out falls on the island.

If you like hiking and jungle activities, you can consider taking the hike inside Phu Quoc national park on the northern part of the island. There are options for 1km, 2km, and 5km hike but with a local guide.

You can also get to An Thoi Station to buy a ticket for the cable car ride. This is, in my opinion, one of the best things to do in Phu Quoc. The 15 minutes cable car ride though the ocean offers stunning views of the sea.

Entertainment

Phu Quoc has a wide range of entertainment to explore including family-friendly entertainment complexes such as VinWonders theme park has water slides, roller coasters, an aquarium, and a water park.

You can enjoy various shows at Kiss Bridge and Sunset Town as well as taking the thrilling Cable Car to Hon Thom island for more entertaining at Aquatopia Water Park.

The island is home to Vinpearl Casino in Vinpearl Resort, which is one of the largest in Vietnam. If you feel lucky, you can try your hand at a game of chance or watch the live performances and shows at the casino.

Cost of Living

Phu Quoc is generally more expensive than Mui Ne. Accommodations, food, and drink are usually more expensive than other parts of Vietnam. If you dine in the resort areas, expect to pay a high price.

Weather

Both Phu Quoc and Mui ne have warm weather all year around. Phu Quoc has two distinct seasons, the dry season (November to May) and the rainy season (May to October).

The peak rainy season and storm are usually from July to September, so if you want to enjoy the outdoor activities at its max, avoid visiting the island during this season.

Mui Ne also has two seasons, the rainy and dry season. The best time to visit is in the dry season from November to May. It has windy conditions all year around which is great for windsurfing.

Getting Around

I found it easy to use local taxis, Grab, and take guided tours to explore Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. You can consider renting a scooter, which will give you more freedom to explore each place.

Mui Ne town center is quite compact, centering around Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Huyen Thuc Khang Street, so you can get around on foot or use Grab Bike. I stayed near the Ham Tien Market, so it was easy to walk to the restaurants, cafes, and beaches.

For sightseeing, there is a half day sightseeing tour that costs around 150 baht taking you around famous attractions around the city. Within 4-5 hours, you can visit the White Sand Dunes, Red Sand Dunes, Mui Ne fishing village, and Fairy Stream.

For further away attractions such as Tà Cú Mountain, located around 1 hour drive from Mui Ne, I hire a private driver. He took me there, waited for me to explore, and drove me back to my hotel.

Phu Quoc also has lots of local taxi and riding share services such as Grab or Xanh SM. It’s easy to get these services from the airport and use it to explore popular areas of the island.

There are also dozens of tours to explore Phu Quoc. John’s Tours are popular tour agencies with many tours such as one day trip explore the north, one day trip explore the south, or the island hopping tour. With 2-3 days tours, you can see most parts of Phu Quoc.