Turtle Island (Hon Nghe)
Lâm Đồng Province · Hong Chinh, Hoa Thang; Mui Ne is the nearest established kite hub
also known as Hon Nghe, Hòn Nghề, Hòn Rùa, Hòn Quy, Hòn Đú, Hòn Ghe, The Turtle Island
Riding essentials
Season
Nov–Apr
Months riders and schools name
How windy
20-25 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
ok
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
28 °C in summerA sandbar sits between the mainland and the island, flat on the inside, small waves outside
Hazards
8
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
low crowds · busy Nov Dec Jan Feb
Schools
6
named at this spot
From the airport
270 min
Tan Son Nhat (SGN)
When it fills in
Mui Ne wind builds through the day, mornings easier and afternoons and evenings stronger. No Turtle-only onset time is confirmed.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Suoi Nuocno page yet
- Malibu / Ganh Beachno page yet
- The Cemeteryno page yet
- Mui Ne Kite Beachno page yet
- Harbour Wallno page yet
- Phan Thiet downwinderno page yet
The spot
Location and conditions
Season and learning
The wind
locals call it North East Monsoon with local thermal and venturi effects
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
NE, ENE, E and SE reported for Turtle Island; NE dominates the Mui Ne high season
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
10-12 m mornings in the Mui Ne NE season · 7-9 m as the wind increases later in the day · small kites for stronger Jan-Mar days
Character
Average strength
Monthly averages for Turtle Island come out at 10 kt Jan, 9 kt Feb, 8 kt Mar, 6 kt Apr, 8 kt Nov and 9 kt Dec, and those figures exclude thermal wind.
Typical strength
20-25 kt in the Mui Ne northeast monsoon, stronger on the good days. Wider Mui Ne high-season figures run up to 20-30+ kt, but nothing has been measured at Turtle Island alone.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month76
- Feb, riders' month75
- Mar, riders' month68
- Apr, riders' month22
- May26
- Jun33
- Jul56
- Aug63
- Sep42
- Oct8
- Nov, riders' month65
- Dec, riders' month79
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Dec.
- 76%Jan26°
- 75%Feb26°
- 68%Mar27°
- 22%Apr30°
- 26%May31°
- 33%Jun30°
- 56%Jul29°
- 63%Aug29°
- 42%Sep29°
- 8%Oct31°
- 65%Nov29°
- 79%Dec27°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 82% | 79% | 14.5 kt | E | 15:00 | 25.4 °C | 26.3 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 75% | 86% | 82% | 15.2 kt | E | 15:00 | 26.4 °C | 26.4 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 68% | 76% | 73% | 14.8 kt | E | 15:00 | 26.5 °C | 26.9 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 22% | 30% | 25% | 10.4 kt | E | 14:00 | 27.7 °C | 30.3 °C | 60 |
| May | 26% | 53% | 42% | 11 kt | SW | 14:00 | 28 °C | 31.4 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 33% | 82% | 57% | 12.2 kt | SW | 14:00 | 27.7 °C | 29.8 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 56% | 69% | 66% | 13 kt | WSW | 14:00 | 26.8 °C | 29 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 63% | 87% | 76% | 13.8 kt | SW | 15:00 | 27.3 °C | 28.8 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 42% | 62% | 53% | 12.2 kt | SW | 14:00 | 26.5 °C | 29.2 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 8% | 29% | 16% | 9 kt | E | 14:00 | 26.1 °C | 30.5 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 65% | 82% | 70% | 13.9 kt | E | 15:00 | 26.9 °C | 28.8 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 79% | 87% | 85% | 14.7 kt | ENE | 15:00 | 26.2 °C | 27.1 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
mixed
Tides
Tide reportedly does not change the riding at Turtle Island. No local tide table or depth range was found.
Temperature
28 °C summer · 25 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 26–31 °C
Wetsuit
No wetsuit needed. Mui Ne water sits above 25 °C, around 25 °C in winter and 28 °C in summer.
Wave height
0.5-1m
Conditions
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
6 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: ok
Somewhere else
2 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Launch from the mainland beach and sandbar opposite Hon Nghe, at the northern end of the Suoi Nuoc bay. The island itself is a small uninhabited rock just over 120 m off the coast, and it is not where you rig. The launching and landing area is medium sized.
Rules & access
1 min read
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Ask a Mui Ne school or a local rider when Turtle Island is on; timing here is local knowledge, not forecast reading.
- Read the 20-30 kt Mui Ne high-season figure as regional, because nobody has measured Turtle Island itself.
- Bring small kites for January-March, when 20-25 kt is normal and the stronger days go above it.
- Do not count on rescue or beach staff being here; the Mui Ne schools keep their assistance at their own bases.
- If you walk around on Hon Nghe itself, mind the oyster-covered rocks. They are sharp.
Getting there
Airport
Ho Chi Minh City / Tan Son Nhat (SGN) is the common long-haul gateway; others list Dalat (DLI) 105 km and Cam Ranh (CXR) 185 km from the spot.
Route
From SGN it is a 4-5 hour road transfer to Mui Ne, then about 45 minutes north by road to Turtle Island. The island sits in Hoa Thang commune, Bac Binh district, about 12 km southwest of the Mui Ne sand dunes and 7 km northeast of Bau Trang lake at the White Sand Dunes, near Hong Chinh hamlet.
Transfer
270 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Base in Mui Ne/Ham Tien for the densest kite-school and resort infrastructure, or stay in the quieter Hong Chinh/Hoa Thang area, where Stop and Go Lang Chai and more than 10 local lodging households were operating in 2022.
No-wind days
White Sand Dunes / Bau Trang · Fairy Stream · Red Sand Dunes · Cham ruins near Phan Thiet · Ta Cu Mountain day trip · Hong Chinh fishing village and mossy rocks at low water/dawn
Photos
FAQ
Is Turtle Island suitable for beginners?
It's disputed: some listings call it suitable for any level, but others warn the wider area isn't especially beginner-friendly, so first-timers should go only with a local school or guide.
When is the best time?
November to April is the North East Monsoon season, with January to March the windiest months.
What is the wind like?
Wind is reported from NE, ENE, E and SE, funnelled between the mainland dunes and the islet, at around 20-25 kt in the main season.
How do you get there?
Turtle Island is about 45 minutes north of central Mui Ne by road.
The bigger pictureEverything about Mui Ne
Last updated: August 2026