Routes & Day Trips
An Bang Beach Hoi An by Motorbike (2026): Parking, Sunbeds & the Beach Rebuild
HOI AN BEACHES · BY MOTORBIKE · UPDATED AUGUST 2026
An Bang Beach is the stretch of sand locals send you to, and the ride out from the Old Town is barely fifteen minutes of flat road through rice paddies. But there is something happening at An Bang Beach that no guide mentions: this coastline is being physically rebuilt right now. After storms tore away nearly 8 km of sand between Cua Dai and An Bang, engineers began sinking breakwaters offshore and pumping sand back onto the beach — a project due to finish at the end of 2026. What you find when you arrive depends on which stretch you walk onto. This guide covers the ride, where to actually park, how the sunbed system works, swimming safely, and which section of sand is worth your towel.
- The beach is being rebuilt — what you will actually find
- Riding to An Bang Beach: two routes from the Old Town
- Parking, and the 5,000₫ vs 10,000₫ trick
- How the sunbed system really works
- Swimming safely at An Bang Beach: flags, lifeguards and rip currents
- Where to eat and drink
- Evenings, live music and getting home
- When to visit An Bang Beach: hours, seasons, storms
- An Bang vs Cua Dai vs Ha My
- FAQ
№ 01The beach is being rebuilt — what you will actually find
Start here, because it explains why photos of An Bang Beach taken in different years look like different places.
What happened. A run of powerful storms, heavy rain and rising sea levels stripped sand from close to 8 kilometres of coast between Cua Dai and An Bang. Cua Dai took the worst of it — at its lowest point that beach had essentially vanished, with sandbags and collapsed bar terraces where the sand used to be. An Bang, further north, held up better but lost width too.
What is being done. Quang Nam launched a restoration programme worth 982 billion đồng (about US$37 million). Engineers are building submerged breakwaters roughly 250 metres offshore to break the waves before they reach land, then pumping dredged sand back onto the beach behind them.
Does it work? On the 2.3 km section already completed, erosion has almost stopped and the sand is holding. That is the clearest evidence so far that the approach is sound. The full project is scheduled to finish at the end of 2026.
What this means for your visit. Expect variation. Some stretches are wide and generous; others are narrower than the postcards, and you may see dredging pipes or work barges offshore. The restaurant strip at An Bang — the part most visitors use — is the healthiest section. If you walk far south towards Cua Dai you will find the harder-hit ground.
The honest version: An Bang in 2026 is still a very good beach — soft sand, real waves, proper restaurants. It is just no longer the endless empty shoreline some older blog posts describe, and it is a working construction site in places. Knowing that beforehand is the difference between a nice day and a disappointment.
№ 02The ride: two routes from the Old Town
An Bang sits about 7 kilometres north-east of the Old Town — roughly 12 to 15 minutes on a scooter, and a very pleasant 25–30 minutes by bicycle. The road is flat the whole way.
- The fast way — Hai Ba Trung. From the Old Town head north on Hai Ba Trung and simply keep going. The road runs dead straight through vegetable gardens and rice fields and ends at the An Bang beach car park. Almost impossible to get lost; this is the route to take if it is your first time.
- The pretty way — Cua Dai then north along the coast. Ride out on Cua Dai road towards the sea, then turn left and follow the coastal lane north past Tan Thanh. Adds ten minutes, but you get the sea on your right, coconut palms, and the small beach cafés along Tan Thanh that most visitors never see.
Take the fast route out and the coastal route home in the late afternoon — the light on the way back through Tan Thanh is the best part of the trip, and you pass several good places for a drink before dinner.
Riders should note that a petrol scooter over 50cc legally requires a licence plus a 1968-convention IDP — see our IDP guide. Electric scooters and bicycles need no licence, and for a flat 7 km run like this an e-bike is genuinely the easiest option.
№ 03Parking, and the 5,000₫ vs 10,000₫ trick
Small money, but it is the first thing that happens when you arrive and it sets the tone for the day.
- The official public parking rate is 5,000₫ for a motorbike. Attendants at the main lot will frequently ask for 10,000₫ from foreign visitors. Hand over 5,000₫, say “năm nghìn”, and ask for the ticket — that usually settles it. It is a tiny amount of money; the point is that starting with the correct price avoids the sense that everything here is negotiable.
- Better still: park at the restaurant. Every beach restaurant along the strip — Soul Kitchen, DeckHouse and the others — has free parking for customers. If you intend to eat or drink anywhere (and you will), ride straight to that place and park there instead of using the public lot.
- Take the seat and your helmet or lock the helmet under it. Leave nothing loose in the basket.
- Note where you parked. The lanes behind the beach look identical, and after a few hours in the sun everything blurs.
- Keep the ticket if you use the public lot — you need it to get the bike back.
№ 04How the sunbed system really works
This confuses more first-time visitors than anything else at An Bang, and understanding it saves both money and awkwardness.
The beach itself is free. You can walk on, lay a towel on the sand and swim without paying anyone anything. Nobody owns the beach.
The sunbeds belong to the restaurants. Each place puts out its own loungers and umbrellas in front of its terrace. A bed costs about 50,000₫ — but that fee is waived if you eat or drink there. In practice almost nobody pays it: you order a coffee or lunch, and the bed is yours.
You keep the bed all day. This is the part people do not realise. Once you have ordered, that lounger is yours until closing — you can swim, walk off for an hour, come back and it is still there with your things on it. There is no two-hour limit and no repeated charging.
So the practical move is to pick the restaurant you like the look of, order something modest, and treat their beds as your base for the day. Sitting on the sand to avoid a 50,000₫ fee while buying a drink anyway makes no sense.
№ 05Swimming safely: flags, lifeguards and rip currents
Central Vietnam has a genuine rip current problem and An Bang is no exception. This is the section worth reading properly.
- Lifeguards are on duty roughly 06:00 to 18:00. Outside those hours nobody is watching the water. Swimming at night here is a bad idea however calm it looks.
- Swim inside the marked zone. The safe area is roped off with floating buoys and supervised. It exists precisely because the water outside it behaves differently.
- Black flags mark rip currents. If you see one, do not enter the water on that stretch — move along the beach to the flagged swimming area instead.
- A calm surface means nothing. Rips form on days that look perfectly gentle. The visual tell is a channel of choppy, discoloured or foam-flecked water running out through the breakers, often where waves seem not to be breaking.
- If you are caught in one: do not swim against it — you will lose. Swim parallel to the beach until you are out of the pull, then angle back in. Float and wave for help if you tire.
- Waves are biggest from roughly October to February, when the north-east monsoon runs. That is the season for walking the beach, not swimming it.
- Watch children constantly. The shore break can drop away sharply where the beach has been reshaped by erosion and refill.
№ 06Where to eat and drink
An Bang has a properly developed restaurant strip — this is not a beach where you bring your own sandwiches.
Soul Kitchen — the best-known name on the beach and the one most people mean when they say “the beach bar at An Bang”. Vietnamese dishes and seafood, a big garden terrace, its own sunbeds, and live music at sunset. Busiest place on the strip at weekends; go early if you want a front table.
The DeckHouse — the other anchor: seafood, shaded loungers, a more relaxed daytime feel. Good for a long lunch rather than a night out.
Bungalow Beach Bar and Red Lantern — both run live music at weekends too, and both are quieter than Soul Kitchen if you want the same idea with fewer people.
The small local places behind the strip. Walk one lane back from the sand and you find Vietnamese seafood at roughly half the beachfront price — grilled fish, clams, morning glory. Less view, better value, and where the staff from the beach bars actually eat.
What to order: whatever is local and grilled. Squid, mackerel, clams with chilli and lemongrass. Ask the price of anything sold by weight before it is cooked — standard practice at every seafood place in Vietnam.
№ 07Evenings, live music and getting home
An Bang after dark is one of the nicer things about staying in Hoi An, but the ride home deserves a thought before the second beer.
- Sunset is the event. The sun sets behind you here rather than over the water, but the light on the sea and the sky above the strip is excellent from about 17:15 onwards.
- Live music runs at weekends at Soul Kitchen, Bungalow and Red Lantern — usually acoustic sets from early evening.
- The road back is unlit in places. The Hai Ba Trung route has stretches with no street lighting, plus cyclists without lights and the occasional dog. Ride slowly and use main beam where you can.
- Vietnam has a zero-alcohol limit for riders, enforced with heavy fines and roadside checks. If you have been drinking, take a Grab or a taxi and collect the bike tomorrow — every restaurant here is used to bikes being left overnight.
- Bring a layer. From November to February the evening breeze off the water is genuinely cool on a bike in wet swim shorts.
№ 08When to go: hours, seasons, storms
| Period | What it is like | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Feb – May | Warm, calm sea, clear skies | Best months overall |
| Jun – Aug | Hot (35°C+), calm water, very busy | Swim early or late only |
| Sep – Nov | Rain and typhoon season, big surf | Beach walks, not swimming |
| Dec – Jan | Cool, grey, strong waves | Atmospheric but chilly |
- Best hours of the day: before 09:00 and after 16:00. Between 11:00 and 15:00 the sun here is genuinely punishing and most of the shade is spoken for.
- Sunrise at An Bang is underrated — the sun comes up straight out of the sea, the fishing boats are coming in, and you will have the sand nearly to yourself. Worth one early alarm.
- Check the weather in storm season. During and immediately after a typhoon the beach is closed to swimming and the water is full of debris. That is also when erosion damage is most visible.
- Weekends are much busier with Vietnamese visitors from Da Nang. Midweek mornings are the quietest you will find it.
№ 09An Bang vs Cua Dai vs Ha My
Three beaches, all within a short ride, all quite different in 2026.
| An Bang | Cua Dai | Ha My | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Old Town | 7 km | 5 km | 11 km |
| Sand in 2026 | Good on the main strip | Worst-hit, under repair | Wide and quiet |
| Restaurants | Many, developed | Few | Very few, resorts |
| Crowds | Busy | Moderate | Empty midweek |
| Lifeguards | Yes, flagged zone | Limited | Sparse |
| Best for | A full day out | A quick dip | Peace and space |
Short version: come to An Bang for the day if you want food, drinks, sunbeds and company. Ride ten minutes further north to Ha My if you want emptiness and do not mind bringing your own water — we cover it in the Ha My and Tan Thanh guide. Cua Dai is the one to skip for swimming right now while the restoration work continues. If you are heading further afield, My Khe in Da Nang is about 40 minutes up the coast.
Customers ask which beach is best. Honestly it depends what you want that day — An Bang if you want a chair and a cold drink, Ha My if you want nobody around. Both are fifteen minutes from our shop.
Need wheels for the beach run?
Anh Khoa Hoi An Motorbike Rental · 84 Phan Chau Trinh, a few minutes from the Old Town. Scooters, electric bikes and bicycles delivered free to your hotel, with a beach route map and honest advice on which stretch of sand is worth your afternoon.
FAQAn Bang Beach — your questions
How do I get to An Bang Beach from Hoi An Old Town?
An Bang is about 7 kilometres north-east of the Old Town, roughly 12 to 15 minutes by scooter or 25 to 30 minutes by bicycle on flat roads. The simplest route is to head north on Hai Ba Trung and follow it straight to the beach car park. A prettier alternative is to ride out on Cua Dai road then turn north along the coastal lane past Tan Thanh.
How much does parking cost at An Bang Beach?
The official public parking rate is 5,000 VND for a motorbike, though attendants often ask foreign visitors for 10,000 VND. Ask for the ticket when you pay. Better still, every beach restaurant offers free parking for customers, so if you plan to eat or drink somewhere, park there instead.
Do I have to pay to use a sunbed at An Bang?
The beach itself is free and you can lay a towel on the sand at no cost. Sunbeds belong to the restaurants and cost around 50,000 VND, but that fee is waived if you order food or drinks. Once you have ordered, the bed is yours for the whole day even if you leave for a while.
Is it safe to swim at An Bang Beach?
Yes within the marked zone. Lifeguards patrol roughly from 6am to 6pm and the safe swimming area is roped off with floating buoys. Black flags indicate rip currents, so do not enter the water on those stretches. Rips can form even on calm-looking days, and if caught in one you should swim parallel to the beach rather than against the pull.
Has An Bang Beach been affected by erosion?
Yes. Storms and rising sea levels stripped sand from nearly 8 kilometres of coast between Cua Dai and An Bang, with Cua Dai worst affected. Quang Nam is running a restoration project worth 982 billion VND, building submerged breakwaters about 250 metres offshore and pumping sand back onto the beach. On the 2.3 kilometre section already finished, erosion has almost stopped, and the full project is due to complete at the end of 2026.
What is the best time of day to visit An Bang?
Before 9am or after 4pm. Between 11am and 3pm the sun is very strong and most shade is taken. Sunrise is particularly good here because the sun rises straight out of the sea and the fishing boats are coming in, and you will have the sand almost to yourself.
Where should I eat at An Bang Beach?
Soul Kitchen is the best-known place with a garden terrace, its own sunbeds and live music at sunset, while The DeckHouse is the other main option for seafood and shaded loungers. Bungalow Beach Bar and Red Lantern also have live music at weekends. For better value, walk one lane back from the sand where local seafood places charge roughly half the beachfront price.
An Bang or Ha My beach — which is better?
An Bang if you want restaurants, sunbeds, lifeguards and a full day out, since it has the developed beach strip. Ha My, about ten minutes further north, if you want space and quiet, as it is far emptier midweek but has very few facilities. Cua Dai is best avoided for swimming at present while restoration work continues.
Updated August 2026. Erosion and restoration figures from Vietnamese press reporting on the Quang Nam coastal project; parking, sunbed and lifeguard details compiled from local sources and cross-checked where possible. Prices, opening hours and the state of the sand change — the beach is an active restoration site, so conditions on any given stretch may differ from this description. Message us on WhatsApp if you want to know how it looks this week.
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