The beaches of Hoi An are a major attraction in themselves and are a great addition to the old town, especially during the hot, humid summer months. The most beautiful beach of Hoi An has shifted from Cua Dai to An Bang beach, after a large stretch of Cua Dai beach has suffered serious erosion. Now An Bang is the best place to enjoy the sun, eat, drink and relax. Parts of Cua Dai Beach have returned after years of intensive repair work. But the future looks uncertain. reg
Overview
| Beach | Distance from Hoi An center | What to expect | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| An Bang Beach | 5 km | Most popular beach of Hoi An. Very nice, but also most busy. | Water sports, bars, restaurants, resorts. |
| Cua Dai Beach | 6 km | Nice beach, but problems with errossion. | Few restaurants |
| Hidden Beach | 6 km | Nice beach, getting more popular, but still less than An Bang and Cua Dai. | Hidden beach restaurant, with spa and a shop |
| Binh Minh Beach | 20 km | Large beach, no tourists around | Few local restaurants. |
| Cham Island | 45 km | Plenty of unspoilt beaches; only reaches by boat | Some beaches have restaurants. Most tours include lunch. |
| Tam Thanh Beach | 46 km | Huge beach, with no tourist around | Very few restaurants around |
| Da Nang beaches | 30 km | Huge beaches, attracts more tourists | Most beaches have resorts, restaurants, sun loungers |
Tips for visiting beaches in Hoi An
Best time to visit beaches in Hoi An
The high season in Hoi An falls between March and September, also known as the “dry season”. It is during these months that you find the best weather conditions with lots of sun and calm water. In the summer months of June and July, daily temperatures can rise well above 30 ° C.
The rainy season starts in October. Although rain in October is largely sporadic, November brings bad weather with the risk of flooding.
Tip: The best time to visit the beach is between February and May, when the combination of heat and humidity has not yet begun.
Beaches of Da Nang
The beaches of Da Nang are approximately 20 kilometers from Hoi An. You can get there by motorbike, bus or taxi. Read more here about the best beaches of Da Nang.
An Bang Beach
The most beautiful beach of Hoi An is An Bang Beach. CNN even placed the beach on their 2016 list of the Top 100 best beaches in the world.
An Bang Beach is one of the few parts of the beach in Hoi An that is relatively unaffected by development. You will find a number of resorts, restaurants and bars on the beach with a beautiful view. Some of the most popular activities on An Bang Beach are swimming and paddle boarding. Due to a lack of wind, you will not see any kite surfing and parasailing here. There are a variety of rental options for boards and stand-up paddling lessons.
Most restaurants on the beach rent sunbeds between VND 15,000 and VND 40,000, depending on where you are and with or without a parasol, but they are free if you eat there as well. In the restaurants you can enjoy ranging from fresh fish dishes and Vietnamese BBQ to authentic Italian and French dishes. La Plage, Soul Kitchen, and White Soul stay open late, with parties, happy hour, cocktails, cold beer and great music.
How do you get there?
An Bang Beach is seven kilometers from Hoi An Ancient Town. You can reach this beach of Hoi An by bike or motorcycle. Parking at the beach entrance costs VND 10,000 for the whole day. Alternatively, you can opt for a five-minute taxi ride, which costs around VND 80,000.
Cua Dai Beach
Cua Dai Beach is 5 km from Hoi An and is therefore closer than An Bang. Cua Dai is a beautiful beach with fine sand and palm trees, but unfortunately affected by serious erosion. Although erosion has been established since 2004, the situation has gained momentum in recent years. Because of this there are fewer tourists and because the beach is also very long, you can always find a piece of beach for yourself.
There are a few high-end resorts with a private beach and other budget accommodations nearby. In the public area, there are parts where it is impossible to take a walk on the beach without going deep into the water. The central location of Cua Dai has many seafood restaurants and sun lounger rentals. Because of the erosion, the atmosphere is much less than before.
It is nice to get to the beach at dawn to watch the fishing boats sail away to later sell their catch to the restaurants on the beach.
How do you get there?
The beach is within cycling distance of Hoi An. You can also drive to the beach with a scooter or taxi. Parking is easy.
Hidden beach
Hidden beach is a small beach located between Cua Dai beach and An Bang beach and part of the Hidden Beach restaurant. Hidden beach is less hidden as it used to be, as the beach getting more popular. You can park your motorbike and bicycles for free and even use the sun loungers for free if you also eat or drunk in their restaurant. Hidden Beach restaurant has a good range of both Western and Vietnamese food. There is a toilet, changing room and even a small spa and clothing shop. Further along the road you can find a few other restaurants on the beach.
How do you get there?
You can bike or ride a motorbike to Hidden Beach from Hoi An, around 6 km. Use a navigation app to get there, because the signs are not very clear. Alternatively you could also walk from either Cua Dai (go north) or An Bang (go south).
Binh Minh Beach
Binh Minh Beach is around 20 km from the center of Hoi An and is translated to Sunrise beach. The beach is around 3 km long and is more a local beach then a place were a lot of tourist come. This also make the beach very interesting to visit. You can combine a relaxing day on this beach with visiting the local fishing villages around and eat fresh seafood at the restaurants.
Cham Island
You can take a day trip from Hoi An or even stay on Cham Island. This island has beautiful tropical beaches, with soft white sand, clear water and palm trees. The islands are a popular diving destination in Vietnam.
Tam Thanh Beach
You can take a motorbike for a day trip to Tam Thanh Village. This village is known for the murals, but because you can see it within an hour, you can perfectly combine it with the beautiful deserted beaches that surround the village. Both in the north and in the south you will find different beaches and there is an island (Tam Hai) more to the south, where you can only get to by ferry.
