Besides the ancient town, Hoi An City has many beautiful natural places to visit. Here are the top sites you may want to check.
Phuoc Trach Beach (or Cua Dai Beach) => An Bang Beach
From the center of Hoi An town to the east about 4km is Phuoc Trach beach (Cua Dai Beach). This is a shallow beach away from the river entrance; the water is clear blue with gentle waves consoling the fine sandy beds that are covered by lined ranges of poplars. In the far distance, Cu Lao Cham serves as a screen for easing a visitor’s sight. Every day from early morning, the traditional fishing teams start their daily activities. When night comes, groups of fishermen use lights to attract schools of squid. From shore, it looks like a city in the distant horizon. On a moonlight night, the ocean, sky, and sandy beach can all be seen clearly.
Phuoc Trach beach was considered one of the most wonderful beaches in Hoi An. Unluckily, many storms during the last few years took the sand of Cua Dai Beach away. Cua Dai Beach is very deep, and not suitable for swimming, but still lovely for taking pictures.
An Bang Beach that is near Cua Dai Beach, just around 3km on the way forward to Danang city, is another beach for relaxing and swimming while the guests stay in Hoi An.
Although An Bang Beach is well known, this beach does not, therefore, grow massively or modernly. The owners of An Bang always try to keep the beach unspoiled and idyllic. You will absolutely love this novelty, a space with the sea, the earth, the wind and the sky that functions naturally like what has been operating for millions of centuries.
An Hoi Peninsula
Beyond the An Hoi bridge is the territory of An Hoi Peninsula – a newly formed land that was raised up by rich alluvium from the late XIX century. There are many shipyards and sedge mat cooperatives gathered there to produce the very brilliant handicraft pieces of Hoi An and Quang region. The habitants on the peninsula are descendants of the fishermen of this remote village. The government has been encouraging these residents to integrate into mainland society. They still preserve the wonderful folklore and customs of the habitants of the ocean region.
During the last few years, because of tourist development in Hoi An, this makes An Hoi Peninsula change a lot. Now, many hostels, hotels, resorts, homestays, and restaurants can be found in this area. Travelers can check famous hotels and resorts such as Vinh Hung Emerald Resort, and Hoianan Boutique Hotel.
To visit An Hoi, tourists can walk from the Ancient Hoi An Town to the small bridge and wander around the alleys around the peninsula. Another choice to ride a bicycle can work well for bikers. Vietnamdrive should not recommend using a car to go around at this site because it’s small, and it has many alleys.
At night at An Hoi Peninsula is very colorful. Many restaurants along the rivers, which are opposite the old center of Hoi An, lighten on to become active places for hang-out. Also, Hoi An night market at Nguyen Hoang Street attracts many visitors. And, you will want to visit it too.
Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island)
Cu Lao Cham is the name of a group of islands standing 15km apart from Hoi An offshore. They include 7 small islands named Hon Lao, Hon Dai, Hon Mo, Hon Tai, Hon Nom, Hon La and Hon Kho. Cu Lao Cham’s climate is usually cool a year round. The islands are home to an abundance of plants and animals. Bird nests, seafood, and coral are valuable natural resources.
Suoi Tinh, Suoi Ong, Ho Chong, Hon Kho, Hang Ba, Bai Ong, Bai Bim, Bai Chong, Bai Bac are names of just a few of the many spectacular beaches.
Recently the remains of the residents existing 3,000 years ago were discovered. Archeological remains show a hydro-agriculture system, religious relics, and traces of mutual trade with foreign partners from the Middle East, India, China, and Southeast Asia.
How to travel to Cu Lao Cham: Most tourists move from Cua Dai Port by high-speed Canoes starting at 8:30. And, a wooden ship of local people at 09:00 from Hoi An old town for many local people because of the lower price, but it’s prolonged.
- High-speed canoes depart at 08:30am from Cua Dair Port, and come back from Cu Lao Cham to the mainland at 14:30pm. It takes 15-20 minutes to run for one way. Price is 450,000VND/guest/2-way.
- A wooden ship departs at 09:00am from Hoi An Old Town, and coming back the land immediately at 11:30am. You can send motorbikes or bicycles on board and use on the island with extra charge. We do not recommend this transport for most of the guests unless you like to experience the local style and have at least 1 night on the island of Cu Lao Cham. Price: 100,000VND/guest/way.
- It should be noted that the transportation to go to Cu Lao Cham island will not work in during days with bad weather because of safety. You should check the weather forecast before traveling to Cu Lao Cham.
What to do in Cu Lao Cham:
- Diving or snorkeling in Cu Lao Cham – Cham Island
- Visiting the historical sites in the islands
- Hiring a local boat to visit birds’ nests and to go around the islands
- Exploring the local life on the island.
Where to stay in Cu Lao Cham: There are no big hotels, just homestays of the local people to stay with very basic accommodations to stay overnight. You come and hire them directly from the local.
Bay Mau Coconut ranges (Hamlet No. 2, Cam Thanh Village)
3 km away from the ancient Hoi An town to the east, there has formerly been 7 hectares of Nipa trees, a kind of coconut trees that grow in the water. The total cultivation devoted to Nipa trees which have been increased to 14 hectares.
This area belongs to the forest near Cua Dai. There are many kinds of animals and plants that live in or near the brackish waters. When the tide is up, all kinds of birds, fish, crab and shrimp gather in their search for food. When the tide is down, there are only the rivulets left and the wildlife has to live with each other to find the way to survive. Under the shadow of coconuts leaves, the small boat can take visitors along the river to watch the scenes of nature unfold.
Nowadays, many guests come to this area to visit and use round boats. This experience attracts a lot of guests, especially Korean tourists who often come here from 2:00pm – 4:30pm to do this activity. So, if you want to escape from the crowded, you should come to Cam Thanh water coconut village in the morning. You will feel the peace of the countryside.