March saw the nation announce that Binh Thuan province, which is home to Mui Ne and its stunning stretches of coastline, white beaches, sand dunes, and rich culture, will host the National Tourism Year 2023 initiative aimed at boosting tourism development in the region.

According to information given by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the province still has plenty of strides to make in its efforts to attract international visitors, with the campaign aiming to create “breakthroughs, contributing to further promoting tourism development in the south-central region”.

In order to contribute to this, authorities have developed a series of policies aimed at supporting investors in the area. This includes shortening the time to process documents and provincial leaders inviting businesses to make investments, the Singaporean media outlet wrote.

TTGAsia newspaper also pointed out that another game changer was the opening of the Dau Giay-Phan Thiet highway in April which cut down the transport time between Ho Chi Minh City and Mui Ne from 4.5 hours to just two. An international airport is also slated to open ahead in 2025 which is expected to further drive foreign tourists to the area.

Currently, Mui Ne is developing a policy relating to the night economy as it seeks to lure more visitors, especially international. This includes the two-kilometre night street at Mui Ne Summerland, with the pedestrian area hosting in restaurants, entertainment, and shopping facilities, as well as festival and art performances taking place weekly.

According to local Department of Statistics figures, since April 30 the number of guests visiting the Ham Tien-Mui Ne area has increased, reaching high capacity during weekends with room occupancy hitting about 80%.

In May, Binh Thuan tourism continued to make an impression, welcoming more than 805,000 visitors. This marks an increase of 9.18% compared to April and an increase of 66% over the same period from last year.

In the pre-COVID period Mui Ne had established itself as a firm favourite with Russian visitors, with Russian-owned resorts, restaurants, and signage catering specifically to the market in abundance.

Pham Ha, CEO and founder of Lux Travel DMC, said the area is now rising in popularity with European tourists, as well as visitors from Australia, China, and nearby southeast Asian markets.