Getting around Hoi An is relatively easy as there are only a few main arterial roads – notably Hai Ba Trung (city to An Bang Beach) and Cua Dai Road (city to Cua Dai Beach). You can walk, grab a bicycle or a motor bike and find your way around without too much trouble. But if you have the key maps, it’s a piece of cake.
Overview
Below is an overview of the entire area highlighting the 5 maps that follow – Old Town, Cua Dai Road, Cua Dai Beach, An Bang Beach and Tra Que – and showing where they fall in the scheme of things. Each section is color-coded and that coding continues with the specific entries.
Hoi An Old Town
Hoi An Old Town is organized along three key parallel streets working up from the water – Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Tran Phu. Le Loi Street which bisects these three also should not be missed. On the top edge of Hoi An Old Town, Phan Chau Trinh is also an important location with many cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. A little away from Hoi An Old Town, Ly Thuong Kiet is the major shopping street for locals and the area around Tiger Market is also an important hub.
An Bang Beach
Hai Ba Trung runs all the way from Hoi An Old Town to An Bang Beach. Very scenic, it cuts through a large rice paddy that starts only a few hundred meters from Hoi An Old Town. It can also be reached by Lac Long Quan from Cua Dai Beach. Often there are no street names or numbers so use landmarks marked to get around once you get there.
Cua Dai Road
Cua Dai Road wends its way to Cua Dai Beach following a finger of the river delta. It’s the gateway to popular Cam Thanh and Cam Chau also. Home to many hotels, homestays and restaurants and bars, Cua Dai Road spin-offs provide access to rice fields and river views in many directions.
Cua Dai Beach
Cua Dai Beach was once the premier Hoi An beach. Although it has all but washed away in many sections there is still a string of major resorts both to the north and the south keeping it alive and, fingers crossed, the beach may be coming back! Just before you reach the little river crossing heading towards the ocean a major new highway cuts through that links the main road to Da Nang with the newly-built Cua Dai Bridge and the new roads and developments towards Tam Ky.
Tra Que
Tra Que is a market garden community that follows age-old organic farming practices. It’s a great area to explore by bicycle with its fascinating mixture of old and new horticultural techniques. Just duck off to the right or left on Hai Ba Trung (just after the big rice field) between Hoi An Old Town and An Bang Beach – you won’t regret it.
