<p>Vegetation dynamics refers to the spatial and temporal changes in vegetation cover. Arid and semi-arid regions represent the world’s most vulnerable areas of significant ecological value. The vegetation in these areas exhibits more sensitive and dynamic characteristics than other ecosystems, with vegetation resilience also facing risks of fluctuation and instability. However, systematic research on vegetation dynamics and resilience remains relatively insufficient. To address this key question, a typical arid and semi-arid region, the Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL), was selected for this study to explore how vegetation change affects vegetation resilience. Vegetation resilience was quantified using the temporal autocorrelation indicator based on critical slowing down (CSD), and vegetation conditions were characterized by long-term kernel Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (kNDVI) data. The main findings were: (1) From 2001 to 2021, vegetation significantly increased in MUSL, with low vegetation areas declining to 0.6% and high vegetation areas expanding to 62%. (2) Between 2001 and 2012, vegetation increased and resilience improved, suggesting that vegetation growth positively influenced resilience across 71% of the region. (3) Between 2013 and 2021, vegetation continued to increase, but resilience declined towards zero, showing no significant correlation between vegetation growth and resilience in 77% of the region. (4) Vegetation change in the MUSL was less influenced by climate, with evapotranspiration exerting the greatest impact on vegetation. Different land use conversion types exert differentiated effects on vegetation. Overall, this study reveals spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the effects of vegetation dynamics on resilience in arid and semi-arid regions, identifies vegetation change influencing factors.</p>