Nha Trang to Mui Ne is a half-day ride south of about 220 km, and a morning bus is the easy answer: about 4 to 5 hours, 200,000 to 260,000 VND, and often a drop-off at your hotel on the Mui Ne strip. Groups should hire a car, which takes about 3 to 4.5 hours by the operators' estimates. The train only gets you to Binh Thuan station, about half an hour's drive from the beach. If you have a car and a clear day, the coast road past Vinh Hy bay is the one detour worth an extra hour.
How we built this guide: on 19 October 2026 we checked Vexere's route page, listings on 12Go for Wednesday 4 November 2026 and on Baolau for Saturday 24 October, The Sinh Tourist's schedule, Vietnam Railways' timetable and fares for 4 November, OpenStreetMap's car routing, and news and travel features on the expressway and the Ninh Thuan coast road. We did not make the trip for this guide. Prices are in Vietnamese dong (VND) with US dollar estimates at Vietcombank's selling rate of 26,080 VND per dollar on 19 October 2026. Where a site showed dollars, the VND figure is our conversion.
Which way from Nha Trang to Mui Ne suits you?
Take a daytime bus for value, a private car for a group or the coast road, and the train only if you prefer rails. There is no flight. Our Mui Ne guide covers where to stay.
| Mode | Time | Price seen | Comfort and catch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus or cabin bus | About 4 to 5 hours, up to 6 to the last hotel stop | 200,000 to 260,000 VND on Vexere; from 230,343 VND on 12Go for 4 Nov | Hotel drop-offs on the strip; stops for passengers and parcels | Most travelers |
| Train to Binh Thuan, then a car | About 4 hours by train, plus about 30 minutes by road | Soft seat from 162,000 VND (about $6) on SE7 for 4 Nov | Room to move, but a station change | Rail fans |
| Private car, direct | About 3 to 4.5 hours, operator estimates | From 1,296,000 VND (about $50) per car on 12Go | Door to door | Groups, families |
| Private car via Vinh Hy | About an hour more of driving, plus stops | Agree the detour with the operator | The best coastal scenery on the route | A slow day with a view |
How long do buses take, and where do they drop you?
Plan on about 4 hours, and up to 6 if your bus drops at a long list of hotels before yours. Vexere counted three operators and 24 trips a day on 18 October 2026, averaging 4.2 hours for 221 km, with departures from 07:00 to 22:30:
- Nam Hai Limousine: 07:00, 08:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 20:30 and 22:00 from its Nha Trang office, 210,000 VND on Vexere, dropping at its offices by the Mui Ne market and in Ham Tien. On 12Go for 4 November its 34-cabin bus started at 230,343 VND (about $8.80), timed at 4 to 4.5 hours to Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Ton Duc Thang street or iHome Backpacker Resort.
- Hanh Cafe and Hanh Cafe Ha Phuong Limousine: from 106 Phong Chau at 07:00, 12:15, 14:30, 20:30 and 22:30, for 200,000 to 220,000 VND on Vexere. On 12Go its 41-berth sleeper cost 262,080 VND and its 34-cabin bus 272,160 VND, with drops at about ten hotels and addresses along the strip, timed at 3.5 to 6 hours depending on the stop.
- iHome Transfer: a 32-berth VIP sleeper from 34 Bui Phung at 07:00, 11:00, 12:30 and 14:00, timed at 4.5 hours to 121A Nguyen Dinh Chieu, 402,659 VND (about $15) on 12Go.
Baolau showed Nam Hai Travel at 11:00 and 21:00 for 24 October, 4 hours for 350,000 VND, from To Huu street to Ham Tien, so compare sites before you pay. The Sinh Tourist schedules 07:15 and 20:00 departures, each 5 hours. Several 2026 reviews on 12Go mention arriving about an hour late, partly because of stops for passengers and parcels, so do not plan a tight connection. Our comparison of Vietnam's bus companies covers the main operators.
Tip: the late buses reach Mui Ne between about midnight and 03:30. A morning departure gets you there by mid-afternoon, in time for sunset at the red dunes.
Is the train worth it?
Only if you would rather ride the rails, because it stops 29 km short of the beach. No train runs from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet: Phan Thiet station is served by the SPT trains from Saigon, which run only at weekends this autumn, per Bao Van Hoa, and Vietnam Railways showed no Nha Trang to Phan Thiet train even on Friday 6 November. North-South trains stop at Binh Thuan station, near Muong Man. Its timetable for 4 November 2026 lists four over the 236 km:
- SE7: 08:47, arriving 12:55, 4 hours 8 minutes
- SE5: 10:25, arriving 14:23, 3 hours 58 minutes
- SE9: 17:03, arriving 21:20, 4 hours 17 minutes
- SE21: 19:38, arriving 23:55, 4 hours 17 minutes
On SE7, a soft seat cost 162,000 to 189,000 VND, a 6-berth sleeper 239,000 to 305,000 VND and a 4-berth sleeper 321,000 to 366,000 VND. SE5 cost the same for berths, with seats from 179,000 VND. The evening trains cost more, from 215,000 VND for a seat on SE9.
From Binh Thuan station, the fastest route to Nguyen Dinh Chieu street on the strip is 29.3 km, about half an hour in free-flowing traffic, per OpenStreetMap. Grab lists Binh Thuan and Phan Thiet among its service areas, and our Grab and taxis guide explains how to book. SE5 plus the ride comes to about 4.5 hours, no faster than the bus.
Expressway or coast road for a private car?
The main roads are quicker; the coast road is prettier. Drivers can take the expressway, now continuous from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet in three sections: Nha Trang to Cam Lam (49 km) and Vinh Hao to Phan Thiet (101 km), both opened on 19 May 2023 per VnEconomy, and Cam Lam to Vinh Hao (78 km), opened on 26 April 2024 per SGGP. Or they can use Highway 1, which OpenStreetMap's car routing prefers: its fastest route from central Nha Trang to the Mui Ne strip is 233 km, most of it on Highway 1. The car operators do not say which road they take.
On 12Go for 4 November 2026, cars from Nha Trang hotels ran from 1,296,000 VND (Chou Travel, timed at 4.5 hours) and 1,309,000 VND (Mixi Travel, 2 hours 50 minutes) to 1,536,000 VND (Mui Ne Sky Travel, 3 hours 50 minutes) and 1,760,000 VND (Mui Ne Go Travel, about $67).
The coast road past Vinh Hy and Ca Na
The coastal alternative follows road DT702 along the Nui Chua coast past Vinh Hy to Ninh Chu, near Phan Rang, before rejoining Highway 1 south past Ca Na. VOV describes 57 km of road from Ninh Chu to Binh Lap between the Nui Chua National Park and the sea, passing the Thai An vineyard, Rai cave and Vinh Hy bay. Vietnam Pictorial counts 80 km of coastline from Ca Na beach to Binh Lap and puts Vinh Hy, in the national park, 40 km from Phan Rang. In August 2026, VietnamPlus photographed DT702 winding between the Nui Chua range and the sea, now in Khanh Hoa province, since Ninh Thuan merged into it in 2025, per Wikipedia.
Routing through Vinh Hy makes the drive about 268 km: 99.9 km from Nha Trang to Vinh Hy and 168 km on to Mui Ne, about 55 km of it on DT702, per OpenStreetMap. That is about 35 km and roughly an hour more of driving than the direct route, before any stops.
Is it worth it? In a private car on a dry, clear day, yes: leave early, stop at Vinh Hy for lunch and the view, and plan on a full day. Skip it in heavy rain. It is a car trip only, since none of the bus listings we checked mention Vinh Hy, and the 12Go car prices above are point to point, so agree the detour and any extra charge before you book.
Flying into Cam Ranh? Go straight to Mui Ne
Cam Ranh airport lies south of Nha Trang, so a car from the terminal saves backtracking. On 12Go for 4 November 2026, cars from Cam Ranh airport to Mui Ne hotels started at 1,200,000 VND (Chou Travel, about 3 hours), with Ngan Linh Transport at 1,475,000 VND and Mui Ne Sky Travel at 1,500,000 VND. Our airport transfer research covers the bus and taxis into Nha Trang if you stay there first.
Can you ride it on a motorbike?
Only if you are licensed and experienced. The UK government says British riders need the 1968 international driving permit plus their UK license and third-party insurance. Our motorbike rental guide explains which licenses Vietnam accepts.
Where do buses pick up and drop off?
In Nha Trang, at company offices: Hanh Cafe at 106 Phong Chau or 53 Le Thanh Phuong, iHome Transfer at 34 Bui Phung, and Nam Hai at its own office, which Baolau places on To Huu street. In Mui Ne, most buses stop along Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, the resort strip in Ham Tien, and at hotels or the Mui Ne market. Mui Ne ward lies about 25 km east of Phan Thiet, as our Mui Ne guide explains, so make sure your ticket says Mui Ne or Ham Tien rather than Phan Thiet.
Going the other way: Mui Ne to Nha Trang
The same companies run north. The Sinh Tourist leaves Mui Ne at 13:00 and 01:00, each scheduled at 5 hours. From Binh Thuan station, Vietnam Railways' timetable for 4 November 2026 lists SE8 at 09:42 (arriving 13:43), SE6 at 12:14 (16:06) and SE22 at 13:51 (18:05). See also routes from Nha Trang, our Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang guide and Da Lat to Mui Ne.
Key facts at a glance
- Buses average 4.2 hours for 221 km, at 200,000 to 260,000 VND, per Vexere on 18 October 2026.
- The Sinh Tourist schedules 07:15 and 20:00 departures, each 5 hours, per its schedule.
- SE5 runs from Nha Trang to Binh Thuan in 3 hours 58 minutes, soft seat from 179,000 VND, per Vietnam Railways.
- Binh Thuan station is 29.3 km by road from the Mui Ne strip, per OpenStreetMap.
- The 78 km Cam Lam to Vinh Hao expressway opened on 26 April 2024, per SGGP.
Limitations
Fares and timetables are a snapshot checked on 19 October 2026, for trips on 24 October and 4 November, and they change, especially at weekends and holidays. Sources disagree on the distance (about 219 km on Baolau, 221 km on Vexere, 233 km on OpenStreetMap to Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, 250 km for The Sinh Tourist) and on bus timings, which are the operators' own. Car times are operator estimates, and OpenStreetMap's drive times assume free-flowing traffic.
Bus and car operators do not publish their roads. The coast road features we used date from 2017, 2018 and 2026, so check its condition before you go. The UK government puts central Vietnam's rainy season at October to December, with floods most likely in October and November, so keep a spare day in late autumn, and save the coastal detour for a dry day.
