Hoi An Beaches and Hotel Choice: Where to Stay

Basket boats add ambiance to Hoi An's beaches

▶ Animate photo

The choice of area and beach in Hoi An determines your entire vacation. On one hand, there is the cultural Old Town, on the other — An Bang and Cua Dai beaches. We have visited Hoi An many times and will help you avoid confusion: this guide provides a detailed breakdown of all beaches and an honest comparison of areas so you understand exactly where to stay and how to choose a hotel for your goals and budget.

Read to the end — and you will definitely understand which area or beach of Hoi An was made just for you.

Where to stay in Hoi An: choosing the best area or beach for a hotel

Choosing a place to stay in Hoi An is essentially choosing your vacation scenario. The city is clearly divided into three zones, each with its own atmosphere and advantages. We'll tell you who each option is suitable for.

• 🏮 Historic Center (Hoi An Old Town)

  Center on the map. This is the heart of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and perhaps the most atmospheric place in all of Vietnam. Narrow streets with yellow houses, Chinese temples, the Japanese Bridge, hundreds of lanterns, a river with basket boats, and endless cafes. There is 100% developed tourist infrastructure. A choice for those who come for culture, romance, and life "in the thick of things." Ideal if your goal is photography, gastronomy, and immersing yourself in history during a short trip for a couple of days. Personally, we always stay only here.

  ❌ Cons: can be noisy in the evenings, the highest prices for accommodation and food, difficult parking if you're on a motorbike.

  

• 🌿 Quiet Outskirts (rural part of Hoi An)

  Outskirts on the map. A conditional name for areas within a 10-20 minute walk from the center. It's quiet, green, fewer tourists, and hotels often offer more space for the same money. There is sufficient infrastructure (shops, local cafes) for living. A good compromise for budget travelers and those who want to sleep in silence but quickly get to the attractions. On one of our first trips, we stayed here, but every evening we still ended up in the center — for the atmosphere.

  ❌ Cons: lacks that unique "Hoi An" atmosphere, attractions are only within walking distance, can be quite deserted in the evening.

  

• 🌴 Beach area An Bang and Cua Dai

  Beach on the map. 4-6 km from the Old Town stretches a chain of excellent beaches with white sand. This is a separate world — resort-style, relaxed. Here are concentrated modern hotels with pools, villas, beach bars, and seafood restaurants, and at the same time, you can see real village life on the shore, such as round fishing boats. The perfect choice for a beach holiday with trips to the city center for walks during the day. If you plan to spend a week or more in Hoi An, combining beach relaxation and culture, staying here is an excellent strategy. The center is easy to reach by taxi (10-15 minutes) or rented motorbike. Some hotels include free shuttle bus service to and from the city center. You can find out about bus availability in the hotel description when booking.

  ❌ Cons: life revolves around the hotel or beach, you won't have evening walks through historic streets right outside your door, prices in coastal establishments are above average.

  

The choice is yours! And to briefly summarize, here is a quick cheat sheet for choosing an area depending on the purpose of your trip:

• If you are coming to Hoi An for a week or two for a beach holiday combined with excursions — choose the Beach area (An Bang / Cua Dai). Here you will get maximum comfort by the sea.
• If your goal is to immerse yourself in culture, atmosphere, visit museums and attractions, and your trip is planned for 1-3 days — your choice is the Historic Center (Old Town). You will be in the heart of the action.
• If you want to save on accommodation, are traveling long-term, or value peace and quiet but still want quick access to the center — take a look at the Quiet Outskirts.

If this information has helped you decide on a place for a hotel, then it's time to book it. You can do this on these sites:

• Trip.com — excellent hotel prices in Asia, has Russian support, accepts Mir cards. Often the best deals are here.
• Yandex.Travel — convenient interface and cashback from Yandex Plus.
• Ostrovok.ru — a good selection of guesthouses and mini-hotels.

Hoi An Beaches: An Bang and Cua Dai

Beach holidays are one of the main reasons tourists come to Hoi An for long stays, i.e., a week or more. And it's justified: there are long stretches of white sand, a gentle slope into the water, and overall calm South China Sea.

But it's important to understand: Hoi An's beaches are not urban beaches in the usual sense. Over the past 10 years, they have changed a lot before our eyes. There are more tourists (especially from Vietnam and neighboring Asian countries), infrastructure has developed, but at the same time they have not turned into noisy resort zones with promenades and attractions. A relaxed, almost village-like atmosphere still prevails here.

What you need to know about Hoi An beaches in general:

• Basic infrastructure: There are almost no public showers, toilets, changing cabins, or foot washes. All infrastructure is concentrated around beach cafes and hotels.
• Main principle of relaxation: You either rent a sunbed (from 50,000 VND), or order food/drinks at a cafe and use their loungers and umbrellas "as part of the deal," or come with your own mat or beach towel.
• Transport: It's a long walk from the center (4-6 km). The most convenient way is by taxi (via apps like Grab), rented motorbike, or bicycle. Many hotels offer free shuttles, but they may be canceled in the low season.
• Parking: Almost everywhere paid for motorbikes (from 20,000 VND). You can park for free in "wild" zones, but they are becoming fewer.

To give you a complete picture right away, we have prepared a detailed video review of Hoi An's beaches:

Now let's take a detailed look at the two main beaches that conditionally divide the coast: An Bang (An Bang Beach) and Cua Dai (Cua Dai Beach).

• ☀ An Bang Beach

  • An Bang on the map
  • Distance from Old Town: ~4 km.
  • Taxi cost (Grab): ~80,000 VND / 3.04 USD.

  This is the most popular, developed, and lively beach in Hoi An. Its epicenter is where Hai Ba Trung Street meets the ocean. It's always crowded here, with many sunbeds, umbrellas, dozens of cafes and seafood restaurants working.

  ✅ What's good about An Bang:

  • All infrastructure at hand: You can rent a sunbed (from 50,000 VND / 1.9 USD) or, by ordering food at a cafe (main dish from 130,000 VND / 4.94 USD), use the loungers for free.
  • There are activities: In season, they offer banana boat rides and jet ski rentals.
  • Atmosphere: Joyful, resort-like, ideal for those who love all comforts and don't want to think about anything.

  📝 Important nuances:

  • Parking: Paid everywhere. For a motorcycle they charge 20,000 VND (expensive by Vietnamese standards), for a car — from 40,000. There are no free spots in this zone. A bicycle will also have to be checked for storage for 10,000 VND.
  • How to find quiet spots: If you walk a few hundred meters in any direction from Hai Ba Trung, the crowds thin noticeably. There are no luxurious restaurants there anymore, but there are simpler local cafes for cheaper, and sometimes — free access to the shore where you can leave your motorbike or car for free. In the evenings, these sections are especially loved by locals.
  • Be prepared for blockades: Many hotels standing on the shore restrict free passage to the water. You'll have to look for accessible passages between their territories.

  

  

  

  

• ☀ Cua Dai Beach

  • Cua Dai on the map
  • Distance from Old Town: ~6 km.
  • Taxi cost (Grab): ~100,000 VND / 3.8 USD.

  This beach is the complete opposite of An Bang. It's much quieter, but also much less developed. Unfortunately, in recent years, its continuous sandy line has been "broken" into parts by hotel territories (many of which are abandoned but still guarded and do not allow passage along the shore).

  ✅ What's good about Cua Dai:

  • Peace and seclusion: It's easy to find an almost empty stretch of shore without crowds of tourists.
  • Free parking: In free areas, you can drive a motorbike almost to the water for free.
  • An option for a thoughtful vacation: Ideal if you just want to listen to the sound of the waves, read a book, and aren't bothered by the lack of service right next to you.

  📝 Important nuances:

  • Almost no infrastructure: On free stretches, there are no sunbeds, cafes, or toilets. All of this is only on the territories of operating hotels and for their guests.
  • Navigation difficulty: Taking a taxi from the center here "at random" is a bad idea. You might pay and end up at a hotel fence with no access to the water. Here is a point tested by us where you can definitely pass and drive without hindrance.
  • You can stay in this area: If you like this particular beach, you can stay here in one of the few operating hotels on the first line, or a bit further across the road in inexpensive guesthouses. Just check reviews and maps to make sure there is a direct and legal path to the sea nearby.

  

  

  

  

Conclusion: Choosing between An Bang and Cua Dai is a choice between comfort and seclusion. For a first visit, a short trip, or if you love all conveniences — choose An Bang. If you have been to Hoi An before, value quiet, and are ready for a small adventure in finding the perfect spot — explore Cua Dai.

Hoi An Hotels: where to book accommodation

Hotel prices in Hoi An, especially during discount periods in the low tourist season from September to December, are very affordable. And don't be scared by the fact that we talk about crowded streets in our guide and show in our videos. In fact, most of the city's visitors are day-trippers from Da Nang who don't stay in hotels here. So finding and booking accommodation here is not a problem at all.

A budget guesthouse of the "just to sleep" type with air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and hot water can be found for $15-20 for a double room. Some hotels manage to include simple breakfasts in this price. From $25 you can even find a hotel with a pool, but only on the outskirts or near the beaches, since there are almost no hotels with pools in the old town.

Booking in advance in the low season may not be necessary, but it's definitely more convenient than wandering the streets looking for accommodation on the spot. In the high season from January to August, we definitely advise taking care of accommodation at least a few days in advance, especially if you have specific preferences for hotel services and quality, and your trip falls on holidays or weekly weekends.

You can find and book accommodation in Hoi An on these reliable, tested sites or through the search form:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Hoi An on Trip.com (👍 Mir cards work)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Hoi An on Yandex.Travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Map of Hoi An with beaches, areas, and hotels