Hoi An Old Town and An Bang Beach are the two popular areas to stay in Hoi An. They are located around 4-5km apart, but offer a different atmosphere.
The Old Town has a more historic atmosphere and cultural attractions while the beach has a more laid back atmosphere and is less touristy.
In this article, I will compare Hoi An Old Town and An Bang Beach to help you decide which area is better for you to book your accommodation. I will outline their similarities and differences of location, accommodations, nightlife, shopping, food, and attractions.
I’m a local Vietnamese and I’ve stayed in both the old town and the beachfront area, so I hope to give you some good recommendations and useful maps.
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Should you stay in Hoi An Old Town or An Bang Beach?
I would recommend staying in Hoi An Old Town if this is your first time visiting Hoi An. The Old Town has everything that Hoi An is known for, which include ancient houses, lantern-lit streets, and popular tailor shops.
Staying in the Old Town means you can easily walk to famous attractions, trendy cafes and restaurants, and nightlife without spending extra time or money on travel.
The Old Town is most beautiful at night when the street and the river is lit up with colorful lanterns, so it’s best to stay at least a night in the old town to fully experience its vibrant nightlife scene.
You don’t have to worry about taking transportation back to the beach area or whether it’s safe to travel at night. Hoi An is generally safe, I’m sure you won’t have any problem taking a taxi at night, but when I travel, I try to avoid taking taxis at night, especially when I’m traveling solo.
Hoi An Old Town has more interesting places to explore the beach area, so the best advice for first-timers who have a short time in the city is to stay in the old town and then the day trip to the beach.
There’s nothing much happening on the beach at night, so a few hour visit during daytime to An Bang or Cua Dai Beach is usually enough for a swim, sunbathing, and some chill time at the beachfront bars and restaurants.
I would recommend staying in An Bang/ Cua Dai Beach if you’re returning visitors and those who have spent a long time in the city that you can split your stay between the old town and the beach area.
The beach area has laid back atmosphere and is less touristy than the old town, so if you’re beach lovers who want away from the crowds and don’t mind traveling to the old town, The beach is perfect for you.
If you stay on the beach, you can enjoy the peaceful morning in the beach watching the sun rise or see locals go fishing in the traditional round beach. The nightlife is mellow but offers dozens of restaurants and bars for a nice dinner.
Generally speaking, the old town is a better base for first-timers who want a convenient location for sightseeing, shopping, and nightlife. An Bang and Cua Dai beaches are better choices if you want a quiet beach holiday, and don’t mind taking additional transport to get to the old town.
Best hotels in Hoi An Old Town:
- Luxury: Allegro Hoi An
- Mid-range: Hoi An Historic Hotel (I stayed here, good hotel)
- Budget: Square Villa Hoi An (I stayed here, great family-run hotel)
Best Hotels in An Bang Beach:
- Mid-range: AIRA Boutique Hotel ( I stayed here, good hotel)
- Mid-range: Sol An Bang Beach Resort
- Budget: Dechiu
Location & Getting there
Hoi An Old Town is located on the north bank of Thu Bon River, in Central Vietnam. It’s around 30km south of Da Nang, which is the transport hub of the region.
The main beaches of Hoi An are An Bang Beach and Cua Dai Beach. They are located 5km north of Hoi An Old Town. These beaches are part of a 30km long coastline stretching from Monkey Mountain in Da Nang to Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An.
To get to either Hoi An Old Town or An Bang Beach, you can easily use a local taxi or Grab from Da Nang international airport and Da Nang train station. If you’re coming from outside Vietnam, you will likely arrive at Da Nang Airport before continuing on to Hoi An.
Grab taxis are cheap and plentiful. My ride from My Khe Beach area to An Bang beach cost around 300,000 VND. But generally, the ride from Da Nang to Hoi An cost around 300 to 500,000 VND and around 45 minutes depending on traffic.
Hoi An Old Town vs Beach Accommodation
Both the Old Town and the beach have a wide range of accommodations for all budgets. Many places offer outdoor swimming pools, beautiful gardens, and delicious buffet breakfasts.
You can find both budget backpacker hostels and luxury hotels in both areas. An Bang Beach has a good range of mid-range and budget hotels. If you want big luxury resorts, you can choose to stay in Cua Dai Beach – south of An Bang, or along Ha My Beach – north of An Bang.
No matter where you choose to stay, make sure to book well in advance to have the best deals. The hotels are usually more experienced in the high season. If you travel to Hoi An in the rainy season, you can find some very good value for money accommodations.
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Cultural and Historical Attractions
Hoi An Old Town has fascinating history and most of the popular historical attractions of the city are located in the old town.
The Old Town was the trading port of Champa Kingdom from the 2nd to the 15th century. It is better known internationally from the 16th to the 18th century when it became one of the biggest trading ports in Southeast Asia.
During this golden age, Hoi An attracted foreign merchants from both Asaia and Europe such as China, Japan, and Portugal to trade spices, porcelain, silk, and all kinds of goods. It was known with different names such as Faifo, Hoai Pho, and Hoi An.
The foreign settlements built houses, assembly halls, temples, that had a great blend architecture styles of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and European influences.
In the 19th century, Hoi An lost its status as a major trading port due to the siltation of the Thu Bon River, which prevented large ships from passing through. The new trading port in the region was relocated to Da Nang.
During the French colonial period and the American-Vietnam War in the late 19th and 20th centuries, Hoi An remained largely untouched, spared from much of the devastation that affected many other parts of Vietnam.
Today, walking along the narrow streets in the old town feels like walking back to the Hoi An’s trading past. You will find Japanese bridges, ancient wooden houses, French colonial buildings, and Chinese-style communal houses.
The Japanese Covered Bridge, or Chua Cau, is one of the most iconic landmarks in the old town. It was built in the 17th century by the Japanese community. The bridge appears on Vietnam’s 20,000 VND banknote.
The Old Town is home to many well-preserved merchant houses that combine Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architectural styles. These houses were once the homes of wealthy traders such as the 18th century Tan Ky House, Phung Hung House, Duc An House, or Quan Thang House.
There are a handful of Chinese Assembly Halls in Hoi An, where Chinese communities from a particular Chinese province gather worship. You can have a look at Quang Dong Assembly Hall or the 17th century Phuc Kien Assembly Hall.
You can spend a day wandering around the old town, visiting its beautiful houses, temples, pagodas, and shop houses.
Hoi An Old Town or Beach for Shopping
The Old Town, without a doubt, is the better place to go for shopping. There are hundreds of tailor shops, souvenir shops in the old town and its surrounding areas such as An Hoi island.
The beach town also has tailor shops and souvenir shops but it doesn’t offer a wide variety like the old town. You can find shops along the roads between Lac Long Quan street and the beachfront area. The majority of shops centered around Nguyen Phan Vinh street.
The beach area has a local morning market where you can watch local daily life. The old town is home to two major markets, which include Hoi An Central Market in the old town and the Hoi An Night Market on the An Hoi island, just south of the Old Town.
Hoi An Central Market is a large market with both indoor and outdoor sections. You can find everything at the market including spices, vegetables, meat, fish, and souvenirs. It’s a great spot to visit even if you do not plan to buy anything. You can take photos and observe local life.
The Hoi An Night Market has a wide range of stalls selling street foods and souvenirs. It’s located right at the bank of the Thu Bon River, so make sure to check it out in the evening.
Additionally, the old town is known for its custom clothing and shoes. You can show them the photos of the design you want and the tailors will make it for you within 1-2 days with a reasonable price compared to western countries.
Small family-run souvenir shops are scattered around the old town. You can shop for colorful lanterns, silk products, beautifully crafted wooden items, handmade pottery, embroidery works, and local spices.
Hoi An Old Town or Beach for Nightlife
The old town has livelier nightlife than the beach area. The two banks of the Thu Bon River are illuminated at night by colorful lanterns from both the streets and the river.
There are hundreds of restaurants, bars, cafes in the old town and in An Hoi island. You can take a boat ride on the Thu Bon River and release lanterns and make a wish.
Many restaurants and bars on the An Hoi Island side, south of the Thu Bon river, have second floors with balconies where you can enjoy the drink and people watch.
The night market on Nguyen Hoang Street is also a must-see at night. You can watch the traditional show Hội An Lune Center for the Performing Arts located near the market on An Hoi island.
The nightlife in An Bang Beach is very quiet and the restaurants often close around 10 pm. There are a good range of restaurants along the main street, Nguyen Phan Vinh street.
Hoi An Old Town vs Beach Food
Both the old town and beach area offer a wide range of restaurants serving traditional Vietnamese and regional dishes. The Old Town is home to more popular restaurants and cafes.
Both places have beautiful restaurants with outdoor settings, bamboo chairs, and tables. Many restaurants in the old town are located in ancient houses. The beach has some lovely beachfront restaurants and bars, ideal spots to watch the sunset.
The food in Hoi An is a reflection of its multicultural heritage, blending flavors from Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese influences. Major dishes are Cao Lau, My Quang, Banh My, Com Ga, and seafood.
Some of my favorite restaurants in the old town are Banh My Phuong, Com ga Ba Buoi, White Rose Restaurant, and Morning Glory.
In An Bang Beach, you can check out some popular spots such as The DeckHouse, Phương Beach Restaurant, or La Plage restaurant.
Beaches
If you stay in Hoi An Old Town, you need to travel for 10 minutes on a Grab taxi or scooter to get to An Bang and Cua Dai Beach. If you stay at the beach, you will be within walking distance to the beach.
The beach has white fine sand and clean water for swimming, watching the sunset, and sunrise. There are also many local traditional round boats along the beach, where you can see locals go fishing.
The beach is lined with beautiful beach bars and restaurants. There are sunbeds and umbrellas for rent as well as beach vendors and water sports equipment for rent at the central area of An Bang Beach.
Getting Around
Getting around either Hoi An Old Town or the beach area can be done easily on foot, bicycle, and Grab Taxi/ Bike. If you want to avoid the heat, you can use a Grab Bike and taxi for a short ride.
The main area of Hoi An ancient town is just around 2 square km, so you can walk or cycle around the whole area within one hour. It has four main streets running parallel with Thu Bon River, which include riverfront Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Tran Phu, and Phan Chu Trinh street.
It’s also easy to walk from the old town to An Hoi island and Cam Nam island in the south of the old town. These islands are connected with the old town by bridges. It’s better to explore by bicycle though but it’s doable by walking.
The area in An Bang Beach is also a compact area, so you can get around on foot.The main area is nestled between the beachfront and Lac Long Quan Street, just 300 meters apart. Most restaurants and shops are centered around the 2km long Nguyen Phan Vinh street.
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Both Hoi An Old Town and the beach area (An Bang and Cua Dai) are excellent locations to stay in Hoi An. I personally believe that the old town is ideal for first-timers and short-time travelers.
You can choose to stay in An Bang Beach if you want a beach holiday and don’t mind a bit further away from the major tourist attractions in the city. The beach area is more ideal for returning travelers, long term travelers, and those who already had a good time staying in the old town.