Mui Ne among world's top sand-boarding destinations

(Cinet)- Mui Ne in the southern province of Binh Thuan ranks second among the world's best sand-boarding destinations, according to infotainment blog wonderslist.com, which has listed the "World's 10 Best Sand-boarding Destinations".
 
"This recreational activity thrives mostly in the desert and coastal areas where there is an abundance of sand dunes," it says helpfully.
"This place is much less popular for this sport compared to counterparts elsewhere."
Only Duna Grande in Ica of Peru is ahead of Mui Ne, which is followed by Tattori in Japan, Lucky Bay in Australia, Cerro Negro active volcano in Nicaragua, The Valle de la Muerte in Chile, the desert in Dubai, Sossusvlei in Namibia, Sandmaster Park in the US, and Hirschau in Germany.
Earlier this year, Mui Ne beach has been rated by the Global travel website Skyscanner as one of the 12 most beautiful beaches in Asia-Pacific region.
Mui Ne, ranked 10th, is for those who love the heady contrast of excitement and relaxation, and is ideal for wind-surfing, kite-surfing and all sorts of physical activities thanks to strong winds, big waves, and clear skies, Skyscanner says.
It has some dramatic and unusual scenery: giant sand dunes, like a piece of desert next to the sea, and perfect for dune-trekking.
Last year, Mui Ne ranked second in the list of 11 most beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia by the travel guide Canadian Travellers. Mui Ne is a coastal resort town in Phan Thiet – the capital of Binh Thuan province, about 4 hours by bus Ho Chi Minh City.  
The name ‘Mui Ne’ interestingly has many origins. The first meaning comes from the fishing people in the past. They usually faced sea storms, so they used to hide in a cape, which was called ‘Mui’ in Vietnamese, and ‘hide’ meant ‘Ne’. The second one originated as the name of the youngest daughter of Cham King – who was known as the owner of this land. Her alias was Ne, therefore, the cape where her temple was built, was called ‘Mui Ne’.
Mui Ne is a tropical beach with wonderfully warm weather, which is ideal for swimming. However, since the area from the central stretch to the northern end is dominated by fishing industry, the southern part is more suitable for swimming.
The most must-see one is the Sand Dunes (Doi Cat), where the dunes turn from white to gold (red dunes can be found further south in Mui Ne Village).