Hoi An is one of the most bicycle-friendly towns in Vietnam. Cycling in Hoi An gives you an opportunity to explore traditional Vietnamese villages, beautiful rice fields and the daily life of local people. This is a unique experience that you will never forget. You can join Hoi An bicycle tour or do it yourself with the help of our Hoi An cycling map.
Cycling in Hoi An with Bicycle Tour
Joining one of Hoi An bicycle tours is a popular way for exploring the countryside of Hoi An. On a guided tour, you can spend a leisurely day through the scenic countryside of Vietnam as you learn about the local way of life from the guide and enjoy a delicious lunch.
On this very well-rated Hoi An Countryside Guided Morning or Afternoon Bicycle Tour, you pedal your way from bustling Hoi An to the tranquil and peaceful waterways of the lovely and enchanting Song Thu river delta. This tour not only includes a leisurely 9 km guided thrilling bike ride around authentic villages but also hopping between the islands by ferry and floating bridges. You will also get a glimpse of rural and genuine Vietnamese life as you stop to admire unique traditional handicrafts, then enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch at a local family home.
Another popular Hoi An bicycle tour is Hoi An Countryside Sightseeing Bike Tour & Basket Boat Ride that takes you to visit Tra Que vegetable village, Cam Thanh eco village with rice paddies and some special animals on the Vietnam rice fields such as cows, storks, and water buffalos, and the water coconut forest, where you ride through the coconut palm jungle and have a chance to row basket boats with the locals.
Cycling in Hoi An Independently
To enjoy cycling in Hoi An you actually don't need to take a bicycle tour as you can explore the town and its surroundings independently, if only it's the way of traveling you prefer. To get a better idea about such a trip, we've detailed our experience of cycling in Hoi An without a tour.
Hoi An Cycling Map
This Hoi An cycling map includes the route to explore the main attractions in Hoi An Ancient Town, discover countryside with rice fields on the way and relaxing on An Bang Beach.
- Cycling distance: 16 kilometers
- Time: 09:00 – 14:00
- Cycling area: Hoi An Ancient Town - An Bang Beach
Trip Itinerary for Cycling in Hoi An
During our trip to Hoi An, we hopped on bicycles that we got from our hotel and cycled along the scenic paths to explore iconic attractions, countryside and beaches.
This is an exact itinerary of our trip cycling in Hoi An.
09:00 Hoi An Ancient Town
We started our journey to discover Hoi An by bicycle by exploring Hoi An Ancient Town. Hoi An Ancient Town offers a breathtaking mix of ornate Chinese temples, Japanese-designed bridge, wooden shop-houses, French-colonial houses, and old canals.
Our first stop was the Japanese Covered Bridge, which dates back to the 18th century. This bridge is one of the most prominent attractions in Hoi An Ancient Town. Spanning 18 meters in length, the bridge is believed to be built by the Japanese.
09:15 Hoi An Central Market
After that, we continued cycling on the riverfront towards the market. Hoi An Central Market is located on the bank of the Thu Bon River. This market is bustling with locals and tourists who come to see Vietnamese life.
09:45 Rice Fields
We rode through the town’s small alleys until we reached the main road that crosses scenic rice fields where you can see the daily life of locals.
10:00 Buffalo Greeting
We were lucky to see the buffalo along the way. Some local waved us and invited to ride the buffalo. We had a chance to talk with the farmer and listen to interesting stories about farming life as well as his buffalo. Meeting friendly local people is the thing you can expect while cycling in Hoi An.
10:30 An Bang Beach
We continued cycling leisurely across the bridge to An Bang Beach. Our first impression at An Bang Beach wasn't great because of the tourist scam we had to encounter with.
Watch out for bicycle parking Scam!! Before we arrived at the beach, we were aggressively stopped and told to park bicycles by rude local people. We passed the first guy who literally jumped out on the road trying to stop us but there were loads of these people along the road and we were pretty much forced to pay 10,000 VND to park our bikes. This was a scam. Some of them might charge between 20,000-50,000 for parking. You can just ignore them. However, if you choose to park in one of these places, try to negotiate and pay 5,000 VND only. If not, you can turn right and cycle down the path which brings you to the beach bars and restaurants where you can park your bike for free.
Eventually, we reached the beach. As soon as we got to the beach we were asked to hire a sunbed for 30,000-50,000 VND. We just refused it, turned to the right and walked along the beach to reach the less crowded place where we got free sunbeds with shades just for buying a drink.
An Bang Beach itself is a long golden sandy beach. The water was cool and refreshing. Even if the waves were big during our visit, it was still a decent place to relax. There are also water sports, paragliding, banana boats, jet skis available.
We’ve stayed on the beach for almost 2 hours, swimming, watching people, enjoying the sea and sun, listening to music. It was a nice and relaxing day there to get away from the city for a while.
12:35 Chuc Thanh Pagoda
We got back on the main road and stopped at Chuc Thanh Pagoda along the way. Chuc Thanh Pagoda was founded by Monk Minh Hai of Chine in 1454, making it the oldest Buddhist pagoda in Hoi An. Chuc Thanh Pagoda is a really nice and peaceful place with no tourists at all, making it a great stop when cycling in Hoi An.
12:55 Lunch at Local Restaurant
We stopped at the local restaurant called Cafe 43. This place looks simple but is well rated online. The food was good with huge portions and reasonable pricing.
Numerous dishes of Hoi An cuisine can be found here. If you are not sure what’s worth trying, check: Hoi An Food.
13:40 Assembly Hall of Fujian Chinese
Fujian Assembly Hall is home of Jinshang Golden Mountain temple, which is dedicated to Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea and caretaker of sailors. For visiting this place, you need to get Hoi An Ancient Town entrance ticket which permits visiting 6 different historic landmarks in Hoi An and traditional entertainment (folk dancing, singing, games).
14:00 Hoi An Café
We ended our trip at the café in Hoi An. There are many little coffee shops offering tasty coffee and other drinks in the town so we ended up at a quiet place with great atmosphere for relaxing.
Where to Rent Bicycle in Hoi An
Many hotels and guest houses, restaurants, cafes in the old town offer bike rental services by hour or by day. Some of them even offer complimentary bicycle use for guests.
There are also many bike rental shops around Hoi An. Prices are normally very reasonable and can be as low as 20,000-30,000 VND per day.
Best Time to Start Cycling in Hoi An
Cycling in Hoi An is a pretty good experience for most of visitors, especially for those who are particularly interested in the peaceful, fresh and quiet ancient town. To fully enjoy all the beauty of Hoi An, you should start your day as early as possible. At this time, the weather is pleasant and not too hot and there are not too many tourists walking around. Don't forget to put sunscreen, bring a hat and light jacket to avoid a late afternoon sun if you're late.
Tips
Hoi An Old Town is closed off to all motorized traffic (including motorbikes) on most days, between 8:30 and 11:00 and then again from 15:00 to 21:30, so streets can be comfortably navigated by cyclists and pedestrians.
For visiting Hoi An Ancient Town attractions, you should get Hoi An Ancient Town ticket that covers 5 monuments and 21 sightseeing places in the ancient town.
Another popular beach in Hoi An that can also be visited by bicycle is Cua Dai Beach, which is about 3 km from An Bang Bach.
Get access to the amazing Hoi An Impression Theme Park and Hoi An Memories Show with this Hoi An Memories Show Discounted Ticket and be stunned by Vietnam's largest art show, where 500 performers take over the outdoor stage in their traditional ao dai costumes and modern staging techniques. Travel back as you explore the traditional themed village that represents the port town's 400-year history. Learn and understand the deep spiritual connection of Vietnamese people when you visit the pagodas, temples, and shrines inside the Spirituality Section of the park.