Mobydisc said...
For a newbie there, would you recommend just rocking up, getting off the bus and finding somewhere to stay or booking ahead? Keep in mind the lack of speaking or reading Vietnamese or knowledge of the area.
If you book ahead, you limit yourself to what the travel agent wants you to have. They may tell you all the cheapo accom is full, because of course they want a bigger commission. If you catch an 8 am bus from Saigon, you'll arrive in Mui Ne in time for lunch, and you can just ask around and find a place easily. Across the road from the beach is generally cheaper. I got a bungalow right on the beach - actually it wasn't that great; kind of small - for $12 a night. Low season rocks!!
Vietnamese language skills are not necessary! Actually it's one of the hardest languages of them all; even just getting a handle on a few basic phrases and then making yourself understood by the locals is virtually impossible. There's six different tones and you have to pronounce a word EXACTLY right or they don't know what you're saying. Not like English, where there are lots of different accents (gev me a beg of fesh and cheps, please). So, do what most tourists (myself included) do - don't bother!! If they want your money badly enough, they'll speak English!!!
Wind direction? More or less SW, as this is the SW monsoon. Peak season is during the NE monsoon. BTW there was wind EVERY DAY of my trip - about 8 sailing days, I think it was. Not super strong like the NE, but if it's enough to waterstart I'm not complaining!
Late August? Maybe maybe maybe, not sure. That might be the inter-monsoon period. Try emailing Pascal at Jibe's beach club. He's been there forever; he should know. Google "windsurf vietnam" and they'll be near the top of the list.
