By bus

Most overseas visitors reach Mui Ne via "Open Tour" buses that run between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. Most depart from HCMC between 7:30 and 9:00AM or PM (7:30AM for Sinh Cafe in air-conditioned bus and arrive at Mui Ne at about 1:00 PM, same for night schedule). In the opposite direction, buses typically depart from Mui Ne around 2:00PM or AM and arrive in HCMC at 7:00PM or AM~ five hours at night or in the morning. Joe's Cafe is a good place to catch an outgoing night bus as it offers full service all night and you never know how late the bus will be. Outside HCMC, the coach will stop at a petrol station with a pretty large shop and stalls selling snacks, drinks and fruit.

The buses stop in the heart of the tourist strip in Mui Ne, so there is no need to take a taxi. The cost is about US$6 (105,000VND - Vietnamese dong) each way, and tickets are sold all over the tourist districts of both HCMC and Nha Trang. If you are traveling to HCMC from Mui Ne, you will most likely be put on an already full bus traveling from Nha Trang. Since you are not assigned a seat you may not be able to sit with any traveling companions, and at some of the less scrupulous travel agents you may not even get a real seat (we were put on a mat at the back of the bus with four other people).

Public buses from both destinations also travel to Mui Ne, though finding the departure stations and figuring out the schedule is difficult for visitors. It's not worth the trouble unless you have a strong need to depart at a different time of day than when the Open Tour bus leaves. Travel agencies play dumb because they don't earn anything from helping you find a public bus.

By train

A train runs daily from HCMC to Phan Thiet, departing around 6:30AM and arriving five hours later. The return trip leaves Phan Thiet around 1:30PM. The cost is quite modest at around 60,000VND per person each way (similar to the bus). The train station in HCMC (Saigon Railway Station) is in District 3, about 3 km from the center. The railway station in Phan Thiet is about five km (80,000VND taxi ride) from the beginning of the Mui Ne resort strip, and taxis are abundant to take you there. The railway also sometimes runs a mid-sized bus from the station to Mui Ne for 25,000VND per person. Tickets are sold on the train, though the announcement might be made in Vietnamese only, and you need to watch carefully for the ticket sellers to pass by.

The train has regular carriages operated by the state railways, and sometimes other carriages booked and operated by private companies. The latter have somewhat larger seats for a higher price, but fall short of luxury. The regular carriages are a bit cramped for the western-sized body. When the train is not full, railway staff usually pack everyone into one carriage, leaving another one empty, and then run a side business selling "upgrades" to the quiet, empty carriage. The entire train will be jammed on on holidays.

Overall, the train is probably less comfortable and convenient than the open-tour bus, though it has some advantages - you get a better view of the countryside and avoid the endless honking of horns and lunatic driving of the bus drivers.