Nguyen Thi Lam Suong, a tour guide of Central Vietnam Tourism Company, always persuades her guests to slide down one of the sand dunes near Nhon Ly Beach in Phuong Mai Peninsula of Quy Nhon City even if they have had fun with sand dunes elsewhere in the country.
Suong has a sound reason to do so as she explains lovers of sand dune sliding in the central coastal city have more options here than elsewhere.
Sand dunes on the peninsula have different slopes for guests to go down on a wooden board at a speed of their choice.
Usually, guests are advised to begin sliding down gently and then try a steep slope.
It is the wooden board that differentiates sand dune sliding on Phuong Mai from the same fun activity in Mui Ne in the central province of Binh Thuan. At the sand dunes in Mui Ne, tourists rent a thin composite board to slide down so the speed is not as fast as going down by a hard wooden board.
On Phuong Mai, tourists can slide from the top to the bottom, whether they want to sit or lie face down the board. Suong often lets her guests sit on the board before lying on their front, with the latter position safer when they wear protective glasses provided by the Central Vietnam Tourism Company.
Guests can slide down individually or coupling up. The first option is easier than the second as the latter requires the couple to sit balanced otherwise they will fall off the board halfway.
Besides the board, Central Vietnam Tourism Co. also provides tourists with pairs of denim gloves to put on when they slide down and hold the rope when walking up to protect their hands.
The best times to slide is early morning and late afternoon because the weather is cool and the fact that tourists can watch the picturesque scenes of the sun rising and going down before or after slides.
The sand dunes are located 20 kilometers from the heart of Quy Nhon. Tourists can reach the location by car and trek more than one kilometer through the sand dunes and lines of young pines before they reach the dunes ideal for slides.
