Hoi An beaches in 2026: where to swim, how to get there and which one to pick

Hoi An sits on a river, not the sea. You grab a bike in the Old Town, pedal for 20 minutes through the rice paddies — and there's the white sand and the South China Sea. Four kilometres, but it feels like switching between two worlds: a UNESCO museum-town and a beach resort.

The beaches face east. Sunrises over the water here are unreal; for sunsets, look the other way, over the paddies. In season the water is 26–29 °C, the entry is gentle and the bottom is sandy. Below I break down each beach with 2026 prices: where to go, and where to hold off for now.

Prices checked in April 2026. In high season they can climb 10–20%.

Which beaches Hoi An has — the comparison table

Five beach destinations, all different. An Bang has beach bars and Wi-Fi, Cua Dai has a gentle entry for families, Ha My is silence and no one around, Hidden Beach is sand and a book, the Cham Islands are corals and snorkelling.

An Bang Beach — the main beach of Hoi An

An Bang is 3 km of white sand, a dozen beach bars and free loungers if you order so much as a coconut. TripAdvisor keeps putting it in Asia's top beaches, and it's no exaggeration: clean, well kept and still not crowded.

Facilities and amenities

Along the beach there are dozens of cafés with loungers straight on the sand. The deal is simple: order a drink from 40,000 VND (~$1.60), get a lounger, umbrella, Wi-Fi and a shower. Without an order, a lounger runs 50,000–100,000 VND (~$2–4).

Bicycle and scooter parking is free or 5,000–10,000 VND. There are public toilets and showers. The lifeguard post works from 6:00 to 18:00 — red and yellow flags mark the swimming zone.

The main spots on the beach:

• Shore Club— An Bang's flagship beach club, a two-storey building right on the sand. Lobster, oysters, seafood BBQ. Average bill: 300,000–500,000 VND (~$12–20). DJ sets in the evenings
• The Deckhouse — Vietnamese and European food, craft beer. Excellent bánh xèo — a crispy crepe with shrimp. Prices are more moderate than Shore Club
• Luna d'Autunno — wood-fired pizza and homemade pasta. An Italian island on a Vietnamese beach. The owner is Italian and has lived in Hoi An for more than 10 years
• Fishermen Vegan Restaurant — vegan dishes and smoothies. Quieter than the rest, good for a morning breakfast with a sea view
• Soul Kitchen — burgers, tacos, cocktails. Simpler and cheaper than Shore Club, but the atmosphere is just as good

What to eat and drink

Lunch on the beach is 100,000–250,000 VND (~$4–10). Fresh seafood is cheapest at the small Vietnamese cafés near the edges of the beach. The touristy places in the middle of An Bang cost 30–40% more.

Try cao lầu — Hoi An's signature noodles. Thick rice noodles with pork, crunchy croutons and greens. At a beach café a portion is 45,000–60,000 VND (~$1.80–2.40). Cocktails from 80,000 VND (~$3.20). A coconut is 30,000 VND (~$1.20). Iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá) is 25,000–35,000 VND (~$1–1.40).

Who it suits

An Bang is the all-rounder. Mornings are quiet: turn up at 7:00 and you get hours of empty sand. By lunchtime the tourists and expats roll in. Evenings mean sunsets with cocktails and soft music from the beach bars.

Couples will love the romantic sunsets at Shore Club. Families get a wide strip of clean sand and shallow water in the central section. Digital nomads get free Wi-Fi and can work off a laptop right on the lounger. Surfers get waves at the northern end of the beach from November to March.

Compared with other Vietnamese resorts, An Bang is calmer than the Phu Quoc beaches but livelier than the Cam Ranh coast. There are no crowds like on Nha Trang's city beach, but there is infrastructure. The nearest beaches to Hoi An are the Da Nang beaches, just 30 km to the north.

"Soft white sand and warm water — the best beach in the region. In the morning it's just local joggers, and by lunch the tourists show up with the cafés" — TripAdvisor review, 2025

Cua Dai Beach — white sand and calm water

Cua Dai used to be one of TripAdvisor's 25 most beautiful beaches in Asia. Fine white sand, a gentle entry and palm groves — the picture-perfect family beach. But since 2014 it has had a serious problem.

Current state (2026)

Erosion. Storms and rising sea levels have washed away a big chunk of the shoreline. On some stretches there are sandbags instead of a beach. In late 2025, powerful typhoons damaged 8 km of coast between Cua Dai and An Bang.

The good news: Quang Nam province launched a restoration project worth 982 billion VND ($37.26 million). Engineers are building underwater breakwaters 250 m offshore and pumping in sand. On the 2.3-km section where the work is finished, erosion is almost gone. Full completion is expected by the end of 2026.

Facilities and tips

Loungers from 50,000 VND (~$2), free with a food order. There are a few restaurants and cafés, mostly attached to hotels. The eastern stretch (near Hoi An Beach Resort and Victoria Resort) is in the best shape: clean sand, umbrellas, lifeguards.

The gentle entry is the main draw for families with small children. The waves are softer than at An Bang, and the bottom is sandy, with no rocks or coral. The depth builds gradually — a child can stand in the water 30 metres out.

One more plus: Cua Dai is closer to the port where boats leave for the Cham Islands. If you're planning a tour, it makes sense to stay here.

"Uncrowded, soft white sand and green-blue water. A lounger for $2. But on the next stretch there are sandbags and a no-swimming sign" — TripAdvisor, March 2025

Ha My Beach — the quietest beach in the area

Ha My is the beach travellers usually drive straight past on the way from Da Nang to Hoi An. In 2017 The Telegraph put it in Asia's top ten, but the crowds never came. White sand, rows of casuarina and coconut trees, purple morning-glory flowers on the dunes — and almost no one around.

Ha My is 7 km from Hoi An and 22 km from Da Nang, on the coastal road between the two. It's 15 minutes by scooter, 30–35 minutes by bike.

What makes Ha My special is the greenery. Rows of casuarina trees throw natural shade along the dune line. Between them grow purple morning-glory flowers that bloom at dawn and wither by midday. Photographers come here at 5:30–6:00 in the morning just for those shots.

Facilities are minimal: a couple of homestays and a few fishermen's cafés with plastic chairs and fresh seafood. The best time to visit is February to August. In the morning you catch sunrises without a single person in the frame. In the evening, local fishermen haul in their nets and you can buy fresh fish straight from the boat for 50,000–100,000 VND (~$2–4).

Hidden Beach and the lesser-known strips

Between An Bang and Cua Dai, just off the main paths, hides a small stretch of shore the locals call Hidden Beach. No cafés, no loungers — just sand, sea and quiet. It's about 500 metres long.

You find it by turning off the main road to An Bang, right onto a dirt track. The landmark is the fishing boats on the shore. It's the perfect spot for anyone tired of beach restaurants who just wants to lie on the sand with a book. But there are zero amenities — bring water, food and an umbrella.

Along the shore between Ha My and An Bang there are a few more wild stretches. They have no names and aren't marked on maps. Ask at your hotel — they'll point you there. You usually get to them by scooter along the back roads by the shore.

By expat accounts, Hidden Beach is the best place for a morning run. Firm wet sand by the water, no one around, only fishing baskets on the shore. Some come here just for sunrise yoga.

Cham Islands — beaches and snorkelling for about $32

The Cham Islands (Cù Lao Chàm) are 8 islands 20 km from Cua Dai port. They've been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2009. People come here not to sunbathe but to dive: clear water, coral reefs and fish you won't see from the Hoi An shore.

How to get there and what it costs

From Cua Dai port:

• Speedboat (ticket): 300,000 VND (~$12), 20 minutes across
• Group tour (boat + lunch + snorkelling): 800,000–1,000,000 VND (~$32–40)
• Two-day tour with an overnight: from 1,500,000 VND (~$60)

The season runs April to September. The rest of the year the waves are too strong and trips are often cancelled.

The best island beaches

• Bãi Ông — the largest, with basic facilities
• Bãi Chồng — romantic, with smooth boulders
• Bãi Hương — a fishing village, freshest seafood straight from the boat

The snorkelling here is one of the best experiences in central Vietnam. Visibility reaches 15 metres on a good day. Masks and snorkels are usually included in the group tour. You'll see clownfish, starfish and soft corals in every shade.

A typical day tour

1. 8:00 — transfer from your hotel to Cua Dai port
2. 8:30 — departure by speedboat (20 minutes)
3. 9:00–10:30 — arrival, Bãi Ông beach, free time
4. 10:30–12:00 — snorkelling at 2 spots (masks and snorkels provided)
5. 12:00–13:30 — lunch on the island (seafood, rice, vegetables)
6. 13:30–15:00 — a second beach or the village of Bãi Hương
7. 15:00–15:30 — return to Hoi An

For more on transport, prices and the archipelago's beaches, see our full guide to the Cham Islands.

How to get from Hoi An to the beaches

From the Old Town to the nearest beach (An Bang) it's 4 km on a flat road along the rice paddies. Four ways to get there:

1. Bicycle — the most popular. Many hotels lend them for free. Rental: 25,000–50,000 VND (~$1–2)/day. It's 15–20 minutes down Cửa Đại street, over the bridge across the Thu Bồn river. The ride is scenic — rice paddies, buffalo, locals on scooters
2. Scooter — faster and easier. Rental: 120,000–150,000 VND (~$5–6)/day. Parking at the beach is free or 5,000–10,000 VND
3. Grab / taxi— 50,000–80,000 VND (~$2–3.20) to An Bang. Handy if you don't fancy pedalling in the heat. Order through the Grab app — cheaper than a street taxi
4. E-bike — gaining popularity. Rental ~100,000 VND (~$4)/day. No pedalling, 10 minutes to the beach

By travellers' accounts, the bike ride to the beach is a pleasure in itself. Rice paddies on both sides, buffalo in the mud, the smell of jasmine. Many say the ride to the sea is as much of an experience as the beach.

When to go — Hoi An's beach season

The best time for a beach holiday in Hoi An is March to August. The water is 26–29 °C, there's little rain and the sea is calm. Peak heat is June–August, when the air hits 34 °C.

October to November means typhoons. In November 2025, storms genuinely tore out part of the beach infrastructure and washed away 8 km of shore. Coming for a beach holiday then is a bad idea.

April and May are the golden window. Not yet brutally hot, the sea already warm, and the tourist crowds not here yet. Hotel prices are 20–30% lower than in July–August.

For a month-by-month breakdown of Hoi An's climate, see our Hoi An weather guide.

Where to stay near the beach

If the beach is your main reason for the trip, it makes sense to stay by the sea rather than in the Old Town.

The Cua Dai hotels are cheaper, but some were hit by erosion. Check recent reviews before booking. The homestays around An Bang are a genre of their own: family houses with 3–5 rooms, breakfast included, and hosts who lend you bikes. For where to base yourself in town, see our Hoi An hotels guide.

Tips and common mistakes

• Don't go to the beach in October–November. Typhoons are no joke. Beach bars close, loungers are packed away, and the sea turns dangerous
• Bring cash.Most beach cafés don't take cards. The nearest ATM is in the Old Town
• Check Cua Dai before you go. The state of the beach changes after every rainy season. Read recent TripAdvisor reviews with photos
• Sunscreen is a must. The UV index in Hoi An from April to September is 10–12 (extreme). You can burn in 30 minutes
• Don't leave things on the beach. Petty theft happens, especially on the busy stretches of An Bang. Put valuables in the hotel safe
• Bike > taxi. The ride to the beach is part of the fun. Rice paddies, buffalo, the smell of jasmine. In a taxi you just drive past it
• Buy beach gear in town.On the beach it costs 2–3 times more. A kid's inflatable ring is 80,000 VND in a town shop, 200,000 VND on An Bang
• Early morning is the best water. Before 9:00 the sea is cleaner and calmer. After 15:00 the wind picks up

For everything on the town, its sights and logistics, see our full Hoi An guide and the transport guide.

All the Hoi An beaches on the map

• An Bang (An Bàng Beach): Hoi An's main beach — Cafés, loungers, surf
• Cua Dai (Cửa Đại Beach): White sand, gentle entry — Partly restored after erosion
• Ha My (Hà My Beach): The quietest beach in the area — Minimal facilities
• Hoi An Old Town (Hội An Old Town): UNESCO | 4 km to the sea — Lanterns, restaurants, river

FAQ — frequently asked questions

Does Hoi An have a beach?

Hoi An itself has no beach — the town sits on the Thu Bồnriver, about 4 km from the sea. The closest beach, An Bang, is 4 km from the Old Town; Cua Dai is 5 km. It's a 7-minute taxi ride or a 20-minute bike ride. That gives you the best of both: the sea by day, the historic lantern-lit town by evening.

Which beach is best for families with kids?

Cua Dai suits small children best — a gentle entry, soft waves and a sandy bottom with no rocks. But check the current state: erosion has closed some stretches. An Bang works too, though the water drops off a little more quickly.

How much is a sun lounger?

A lounger with an umbrella costs 50,000–100,000 VND (~$2–4). But most restaurants on An Bang give you a lounger for free if you order a drink from about 40,000 VND (~$1.60). Pick a café, take a lounger, order a coconut — and stay all day.

Can you swim in Hoi An in winter?

December to February is not swimming season. The water is around 23 °C, strong winds blow and storms are common. Some people swim in February when the sea calms down, but for a proper beach holiday, come between March and August.

Are the Cham Islands worth it?

Definitely, if you go between April and September. A group tour with lunch and snorkelling is about 800,000–1,000,000 VND (~$32–40) per person. The water is clear, with visibility up to 15 metres. Corals, fish, white-sand beaches. It's a UNESCO biosphere reserve — nothing on Hoi An's mainland beaches compares.

How do you get from Da Nang to the Hoi An beaches?

It's 30–35 km from Da Nang to the Hoi An beaches. A Grab car costs about 250,000–350,000 VND (~$10–14) and takes 40–50 minutes. You can also rent a scooter and ride the scenic coastal road. On the way you'll pass Ha My beach — worth a half-hour stop.

Is it safe to swim on the Hoi An beaches?

In season (March–August), yes, if you follow the basics. An Bang has lifeguards from 6:00 to 18:00. Avoid swimming in October–November — typhoons and strong currents. On Cua Dai, watch the red flags: if they're up, no swimming. Jellyfish are rare and the bottom is sandy. The main dangers are sunburn and dehydration.

Hoi An vs other Vietnamese resorts

Hoi An loses to Phu Quoc on water clarity and to Nha Trang on infrastructure. But it beats them all on the "beach + culture" combination. Nowhere else in Vietnam will you find a UNESCO museum-town 20 minutes from white sand.