Nha Trang to Mui Ne is about 210 to 250 km by road, depending on the route. Buses and limousine vans run through the day and night in about 4.5 to 5 hours, for roughly 200,000 to 270,000 VND ($8-10) as of 2026, and drop off along the Mui Ne strip. A private car takes about 3.5 hours on the new expressway, for about 1.75 to 1.85 million VND, and can stop at Vinh Hy Bay or Ca Na on the way. The train is slower door to door, because Mui Ne has no station.
It is the natural next leg after a few days in Nha Trang, taking you south from the city's beaches to the dunes and kitesurf beaches of Mui Ne. Since the 2025 provincial mergers, Mui Ne is a ward of Lam Dong province and the coast in between is in Khanh Hoa, although booking sites still use the old province names.
Comparison at a glance
| Option | Time | Price (2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus or limousine van | ~4.5-5 hours | ~200,000-270,000 VND ($8-10) | Most travellers |
| Private car | ~3.5 hours | ~1.75-1.85 million VND per car | Groups, families, coastal stops |
| Train to Binh Thuan + taxi | ~4.5 hours + up to 1 hour | train fare + 300,000-500,000 VND taxi | Train fans |
By bus and limousine van
Two operators dominate the route, both with their own offices at each end:
| Operator | Departures from Nha Trang | Fare (2026) | Drop-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanh Cafe | 07:00, 12:15, 14:30, 20:30, 22:00 | 200,000 VND sleeper, 220,000 VND limousine | Phan Thiet, Ham Tien, Mui Ne market |
| Nam Hai Limousine | about 8 a day, 07:00-22:00 | about 210,000 VND | Ham Tien, Mui Ne market |
Hanh Cafe picks up at its office at 106 Phong Chau in Nha Trang and drops off at 117 Nguyen Dinh Chieu in Ham Tien, in the middle of the Mui Ne strip, and at 43 Huynh Tan Phat near Mui Ne market. The Sinh Tourist also runs sleeper buses at 13:00 and 01:00, taking about 5 hours. The journey takes about 4.5 to 5 hours on the operators' timetables.
Prices vary by where you book: the operators' own sites and Vexere show 200,000 to 270,000 VND, while some international booking sites list the same buses for up to 400,000 VND. Book through the operator, your hotel or Vexere, and see our sleeper bus fares guide for how the classes compare.
Pick a daytime bus. The 20:30 and 22:00 departures arrive in Mui Ne in the small hours, when you will need a room you can check into.
By private car
A car with driver is the fastest and most flexible option. Since the last section of the North-South expressway between Nha Trang and Phan Thiet opened in April 2024, the drive takes about 3.5 hours. One Nha Trang car-hire company quoted these one-way prices in September 2026, including driver, fuel and tolls:
| Vehicle | Price one way |
|---|---|
| 4-seat car | ~1,750,000 VND |
| 7-seat car | ~1,850,000 VND |
| 9-seat limousine van | ~2,850,000 VND |
Split between three or four people, a car is not much more than the bus, and the driver can take the coastal detours: Vinh Hy Bay, about 100 km from Nha Trang and reached by a coastal road north-east of Phan Rang, and the Ca Na coast about 32-35 km south of Phan Rang, where the mountains drop into the sea. You can also ask to stop at the White Dunes before reaching Mui Ne. Confirm the total price, the stops and whether tolls are included before you set off.
By train
Mui Ne has no station. The direct train to Phan Thiet runs only from Ho Chi Minh City, so from Nha Trang you ride the Reunification Express to Binh Thuan station, the former Muong Man, on the main line. These are the times in the timetable published by Seat 61:
| Train | Leaves Nha Trang | Arrives Binh Thuan |
|---|---|---|
| SE7 | 09:16 | 13:47 |
| SE5 | 11:28 | 16:03 |
| SE9 | 17:45 | 22:23 |
The ride takes about 4.5 hours, but Binh Thuan station is 35 to 40 km from Mui Ne. A taxi costs about 300,000 to 500,000 VND and takes up to an hour, or you can take a taxi into Phan Thiet and catch local bus 9, which runs to the Mui Ne strip every 20-35 minutes during the day for 35,000 VND. We have not found an official fare for this pair of stations; booking sites suggest roughly 8 to 24 dollars depending on the class.
The train makes sense only if you enjoy trains or want a seat to work in. Door to door, the bus is quicker and cheaper.
Which should you pick?
- Most travellers: the 07:00 or 12:15 Hanh Cafe or Nam Hai departure, arriving in the afternoon.
- Three or four people, or a family: a private car, with a stop at Vinh Hy Bay.
- Train fans: SE7 or SE5 to Binh Thuan, then a taxi.
Gotchas
- Drop-off points. The Mui Ne strip is about 10 km long. Check whether your bus drops at Phan Thiet, Ham Tien or Mui Ne market, and book a room near it; our where to stay in Mui Ne guide explains the areas.
- Night buses. Arrivals between midnight and 03:00 are common on the evening departures.
- Season. Nha Trang's wet season runs from about October to December, while Mui Ne is driest from December to April. Our Nha Trang weather guide and Mui Ne weather guide have the month-by-month figures.
Once you arrive, our day trips from Mui Ne guide covers the dunes and the fishing harbour, and our Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne guide covers the onward leg to Saigon.
Limitations
Bus fares and times come from the operators' own sites, Vexere and other booking platforms in 2026, and they vary by platform and season. The private-car prices are one company's quotes. We have not found an official train fare from Nha Trang to Binh Thuan. Road distances quoted by operators range from 209 to 250 km, depending on the route.
Workaround: book with a named operator that confirms the pickup and drop-off points, compare the operator's own price with booking sites, and confirm a car's total price and stops in writing.