One sand dune is pure white like a snow valley, the other is bright red, all changing colors during the day.
Bau Trang (Hoa Thang commune, Bac Binh district), about 5km from Phan Thiet city, is a beautiful place that many tourists visit when traveling to Binh Thuan. The two provincial roads passing through here are likened to a snow-covered road because of the characteristic sand color.
The sand dunes in Bau Trang are blown by the sea breeze, creating soft, gently sloping slopes. Visitors can walk along the sand dunes to sightsee and take pictures.
Because it is located in the farthest area of Binh Thuan province, bordering Ninh Thuan, Bau Trang used to only attract tourists traveling by motorbike or private car. In 2018, the yellow water cart on the roadside attracted many young people to check in.
In the local language, "bầu" means lake. This place used to be a large lake flowing into the sea. Later, the lake was buried by sand and people built more to make roads, leaving two small lakes, Bau Ông and Bau Bà. In the summer, Bau Bà has lotus and water lilies blooming, surrounded by tall casuarina trees, a beautiful scene in the middle of the white desert. In addition, visitors to Bau Trang can also experience some recreational activities such as motorboating, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) or kayaking, fishing, high-speed driving on sand dunes, camping...
Depending on the angle of the sun or cloud cover, the white sand at Bau Trang can turn light yellow, causing many tourists to mistakenly think they have come to the wrong place.
Attracting the most tourists is Mui Ne sand hill (Mui Ne ward, Phan Thiet city), with "hot" sand color. Yellow sand hill, red sand hill or flying sand hill are the names of this place, based on the color and shape of the sand slope that changes during the day. The sand color changes in many shades of yellow, red, pink, orange, brown... over a large area or mixed.
Mui Ne sand dunes are said to have been formed from ancient iron mines that have existed for hundreds of years, so they have a dominant red color. Mui Ne red sand has been assessed by international scientists to meet the requirements for raw materials for sand sculpture art. A sand sculpture park in Phan Thiet City has used natural Mui Ne sand mixed with water to create beautiful statues.
Those who are interested in thrills should not miss the experience of speeding on the Mui Ne sand dunes. The driver will take guests "flying" around the undulating sand dunes. Visitors can choose a two-wheeled motorbike for two people, a four-wheeled off-road vehicle for three people or a four-person jeep, with prices ranging from 400,000 to 600,000 VND per vehicle for 20 minutes. Guests can drive themselves, but the game is not recommended for people with heart problems.
The "specialty" game in Mui Ne sand dunes is sand sliding. Locals hold thin plastic sheets to invite visitors to slide down from the top of the sand dunes, for 10,000 - 20,000 VND per turn. The sand dunes in Mui Ne are higher than Bau Trang so they have an ideal slope for this game.