Saigon And Mui Ne

Started our trip in Vietnam through the Mekong Delta arriving into Chau Doc. From there we made our way to the booming city of Saigon (HCMC). We saw the normal sites which included war museums, various temples, and walks by the river. It also didn't take long for us to locate and indulge in the local cheap beer (bia hoi). Had a great night out drinking a few liters with fellow travellers. Easy to do when you're paying 3000 dong per liter (about $0.25) We happened to be here for Jillene's Birthday, and celebrated by going out for a nice dinner on a river boat cruise. Jillene below at our table on the boat. Sitting next to us on the boat was a great American couple Ron and Linda. When they found out it was Jillene's birthday they made it more special and joined in the celebration. This picture was taken on the rooftop of a nice 5 star hotel after the boat cruise where they treated us to a bottle of champagne and some birthday cake. Was a great night out.Before we knew it we were on our way to Mui Ne - a beach with little more than a few restaurants and resorts. A nice place to escape and relax from action packed HCMC. Lots of fishermen around here, and these are the little boats they like to use. I call them 'big cereal bowls'. We get a laugh out of them and how inefficient they are, but the locals sure seem to like them because the place is littered with them.
A lady collecting something where the water breaks. There were a number of ladies doing this...A little friend we spotted. There are a few sites around Mui Ne that you can see if you want a day off from the beach. We rented a motorbike and visited a couple of sand dunes, and below is Red Canyon. Essentially a canyon carved out of hard packed red sand by the wind that is quite pretty to see.This is the aptly named White Sand Dune. There was also a red one, but we'll spare you the picture. The same, except - you guessed it - red!Can't visit a sand dune without trying a little sand sledding... never as fun as you might hope!And the other fishing boats they like to use. This was a village on route to the sand dunes. Quite the fleet! This town makes fish sauce, not the nicest smelling of places.
Exactly what you expect to see walk by when you're relaxing on the beach...