Da Nang or Hoi An?

Both towns sit on the same long strip of pale sand, and in both the autumn surf stops the swimming. Da Nang has the edge because it lives right on the beach. My Khe and Non Nuoc are broad, with plenty of room, the sand runs the whole length of the city, and seafood restaurants line the road behind it.

In Hoi An the sea is a bicycle ride away through rice fields. An Bang, the usual stop, is low-rise and relaxed, with deckchairs and seafood shacks. You go out to it rather than wake up beside it, unless you split your stay between town and coast.

Both serve the robust cooking of central Vietnam, and mi Quang is common to each, so the difference is in kind. Da Nang's strengths are seafood picked from tanks on the beach road and a serious iced-coffee habit. Hoi An has dishes found nowhere else, above all cao lau, white rose dumplings and its stuffed banh mi, and cooking classes that start at the market. Neither has much fine dining.

Hoi An is clearly ahead here. Its old town is a whole ensemble of wooden merchant houses, Chinese assembly halls and the Japanese Bridge, with owners still living above their shops. It rewards two slow days, best walked early or under the lanterns after dark.

Da Nang is a modern city with a few strong single sights. The Museum of Cham Sculpture, the cave shrines of the Marble Mountains and the Lady Buddha on Son Tra fill a day or two. The region's greatest heritage, including Hoi An itself, lies outside the city.

Da Nang has the only real night out on this stretch of coast. There are rooftop bars along the Han River, open-air beer halls serving grilled shellfish, the late pubs of An Thuong and a few clubs that get loud at weekends. Even so, much of the city is quiet by midnight.

Hoi An's evenings are for walking the lantern-lit riverbank and floating a paper candle on the water. A few backpacker bars on An Hoi islet stay open later, but there are no clubs, and anyone after a big night takes a taxi north.

Da Nang has the more dramatic landscape close by. Within easy reach are the forested Son Tra peninsula with its douc langurs, the climb over the Hai Van Pass, the Ba Na Hills and the rainforest trails of Bach Ma, and My Khe gets surf in the cooler months.

Hoi An's countryside is flat and gentle: rice paddies and vegetable gardens seen by bicycle, and basket boats through the Cam Thanh palm waterways. It is the closer base for the Cham Islands reefs, but the mountains are a drive away.

Da Nang is the better base for excursions. Hoi An is under an hour away and worth visiting more than once, My Son is within reach, and Hue makes a long but manageable day out over or through the Hai Van Pass.

From Hoi An, My Son is closer and is the one trip of real weight. Da Nang's Cham museum and the Marble Mountains make a second outing. After that the choice thins, and Hue is too far for a comfortable day trip from here.

Both towns are warm towards children, and both have the same drawbacks: heat, motorbike traffic and broken pavements. What differs is the kind of fun. Da Nang has the bigger attractions: the cable car and Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills, a riverside amusement park with a Ferris wheel, water parks, and beach resorts with children's clubs. Hoi An is smaller and more hands-on, with lantern making, spins in basket boats, cooking classes and bike rides through the paddies.

Hoi An is easier to get around. The old town is small and closed to motor traffic for long stretches of the day. Hotels lend bicycles for the flat ride to the beach and the villages, although longer trips need a taxi or driver.

Da Nang is spread out along the river and the coast. It has no metro and the buses are of little use to visitors, so most journeys are by app-booked car, motorbike taxi or hired scooter. The promenades are good for walking, but pavements elsewhere are blocked by parked bikes and stalls.

Hoi An is the place to shop on this coast. Its many tailors make clothes, shoes and bags to measure, and it is best to order early so there is time for fittings. Lanterns, ceramics and embroidery fill the old town, and the night market on An Hoi adds street stalls.

Shopping in Da Nang is practical. Han and Con markets sell coffee, dried seafood and fabrics, the malls carry international chains, and the stone carvers of Non Nuoc work near the Marble Mountains. Visitors who want tailoring head south to Hoi An.

Both are very cheap, and in both the beachfront resorts at international rates are what push costs up. Da Nang's other extra costs are Ba Na Hills and the western-style bars near the beach. In Hoi An, the heritage sites charge an entry fee and the riverfront restaurants give less for more. Family homestays and free bicycles make up for it.

Neither town is a destination for performance, and live music in both is limited. Da Nang has a theatre for tuong, the classical drama of central Vietnam, although performances are irregular and aimed at locals. Its big occasion is the summer fireworks festival over the Han River.

Hoi An's offerings are made for visitors. In the old town you can join a game of bai choi singing, watch short folk music and dance shows, or see the large outdoor spectacle on the river.

Massage is everywhere in both towns, from street parlours to resort spas, so the difference lies in the setting. Da Nang has resort treatment villas over the sea on Son Tra and a hot springs park with mineral pools and mud baths about 30km out of town.

Hoi An has no hot springs or bathhouses, but its overall pace is slower. Yoga classes are easy to find, and the resorts among the paddies and by the sea are built for doing very little, which is calmer than staying in the old town with its evening crowds.