Nguyen Hoang Boat Pier

Tucked at the southern end of An Hoi Island, right where the night market begins to buzz with activity, the Nguyen Hoang Boat Pier offers a quieter alternative to the busier Bach Dang Wharf across the river. This is one of those spots that reveals a different side of Hoi An, one that is just as charming but a little less hurried. An Hoi Island sits in the middle of the Thu Bon River, connected to the Ancient Town by the An Hoi Bridge to the north and surrounded by water on all other sides. For most of Hoi An's history, this island was a residential backwater, home to local families who fished and farmed while the grand trading business happened on the opposite bank. That quiet character has shifted somewhat with the arrival of the night market and the restaurants that now line its riverfront, but the island still retains a more laid-back atmosphere than the Ancient Town proper. The boat pier here serves as a departure point for trips to several fascinating nearby destinations. Kim Bong Carpentry Village on Cam Kim Island is a short ride downstream. For over five hundred years, the master carpenters of Kim Bong...