The white dunes
Sand shaped by the wind.
Hưng Hồ Bá from 08 Bạch Đằng TP Huế, Việt Nam — CC BY 2.0 · Hưng Hồ Bá from 08 Bạch Đằng TP Huế, Việt Nam — CC BY 2.0 · jetsun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hưng Hồ Bá from 08 Bạch Đằng TP Huế, Việt Nam — CC BY 2.0
Bau Trang is a freshwater lake among wide white sand dunes, about 62 kilometres northeast of Phan Thiet, which visitors call Vietnam's little Sahara. A strip of sand splits it into two lakes that locals call Bau Ong and Bau Ba; the larger is 19 metres deep in the rainy season and ringed with lotus farming, which is why it is also known as the Lotus Lake. The dunes themselves are hills of fine white sand that the wind keeps reshaping, and from the top you look over the green lake with the sea on the horizon. Most visitors go up by jeep or quad bike (ATV), hired at the entrance. The best times are sunrise, before the heat sets in, or late afternoon. Vietnamese press has carried accounts of frightening quad-bike rides, so choose to be driven rather than drive yourself, wear a helmet, and agree on the price and time before you set off.
Sand shaped by the wind.
Green among the dunes.
Before the heat.
Bau Trang, Hoa Thang, northeast of Mui Ne
There have been accidents and frightening accounts, so it is better to let the driver drive, wear a helmet and agree the price and time first, or take a jeep instead.