Hoi An is really good for cycling around, with several beaches to go too and also out amongst the rice fields and mini-canals. The whole Vietnamese coast between Da Nang and Hoi An overlook the South China Sea and is just one continuous series of beaches. Locally Hoi An has two particular beach areas each of which are around 4kms from the town center. Many foreign visitors use their passport with Vietnam visa to do hire bicycles to get to these beaches - bike hire is around 250.000 VND for a day hire. Cycling can be just a little bit hazardous on the main roads as the local drivers do not exactly follow road etiquette even where other drivers are concerned so are not at times too bothered about mere cyclists. A local area map of Hoi An is available - obtained from where you hire your bike or perhaps from your hotel in Hoi An - this shows the beaches and so on mentioned below.
Remember: Hoi An has a sort of locate tax or entrance fee (around 170.000 VND) do remember to carry this when leaving the town for the day - just in case it is asked for on the way back in.

Cycling to An Bang Beach near Hoi An - Vietnam
As soon as you get a short way out of Hoi An you pass through lovely countryside with rice fields which are regularly bisected by small canals. These canals are often covered with water hyacinths and also there are lots of birds enjoying life flying around. The beach at An Bang consists mainly of white sand and often as not is pretty much deserted - there are several small cafes right on the beach where you can get drinks or have lunch. It is also possible to use the sun-chair and umbrellas free of charge based on using the relevant cafe. You do get a little pestered by local girls trying to sell cold drinks and so on - even if you are sat in a cafe having a drink these girls often come in selling trinkets and this can be annoying after a while.

Bike ride out to Cua Dai Beach which is Hoi An's main tourist beach
Cua Dai Beach is mostly a white sandy beach and is usually much busier than An Bang although both beaches actually merge into each other. Several of Hoi An's larger and more expensive hotels in Hoi An have been built along the road and beach front at Cua Dai so it's best to wander along the beach for a while to find more peace and less hassle from the hawkers. As with An Bang beach if you use the cafes and bars this usually allows you to have free use of their sun-chairs and sun-umbrellas. Cua Dai beach front is especially renowned for its excellent sea food restaurants.

Because the above-mentioned beaches are easily reached if you hire a bicycle - the advantage is then that you can go much further along the coast perhaps as far as the end of the small peninsula. From the end you can then return back through the village - perhaps diverting down side roads or along the river to take a look at village life. There are also numerous paths which can be cycled and these go all over the place amongst the rice fields - often the paths are raised to retain the small canals and dykes. There are often small temples and shrines to be found as well as lots of birds and animals to be spotted - spending a few hours cycling around Hoi An's outskirts is really most enjoyable.

A pleasant Bike ride over to look round Cam Nam Island which is adjacent to Hoi An
To reach Can Nam Island you have to cross Cam Nam Bridge which is just past Hoi An's main market. The island is just right for cycling around - once across the bridge turn right to follow a sandy track which goes alongside to the river. This eventually rejoins the island's main road where there are several riverside cafes selling basic food and drink. Just cycle further along the main road taking every opportunity to divert down the small tracks and paths which go somewhere to cycle around and around enjoying really nice scenery, river views, people fishing the old way with nets and often lots of wildlife.