Da Nang or Ubud?

This is the widest gap between the two. Da Nang's single long beach runs almost the length of the city, and at My Khe and Non Nuoc you get broad pale sand and warm, mostly calm water from spring to late summer. The catch is the October to December monsoon, when strong surf and red flags often stop swimming.

Ubud is inland among the hills, so a sea swim means nearly an hour's drive to the reef-sheltered water at Sanur. The closer black-sand Gianyar beaches are better for watching surfers than for swimming. On most days here, a pool with a rice-field view takes the place of the beach.

Both are good places to eat local food cheaply, and Da Nang goes deeper. Its central Vietnamese cooking is spicy and robust, from Mi Quang and bun cha ca to banh xeo, and the tanks of clams, crab and fish behind the beach make seafood dinners a daily habit. Upscale and international dining is thin.

Ubud's Balinese cooking has fewer dishes, with babi guling at lunch counters and slow-cooked bebek betutu as the highlights. On top of that the town has a wide international mix of plant-based cafés and tasting menus. The best Balinese food is a lane or two away from the main street.

Da Nang is a modern city with a short list of sights. The Museum of Cham Sculpture has the finest collection of its kind, and the Marble Mountains have cave shrines, but beyond those there are only the pink cathedral and the Lady Buddha on Son Tra. Two days covers it, and the region's real heritage lies in Hoi An and Hue.

Ubud has far more within the town itself, and much of it is part of daily life. You see offerings on every doorstep and processions in the streets, and the royal palace and Pura Taman Saraswati stand in the centre. The Puri Lukisan, Neka and ARMA museums trace Balinese painting since the 1930s, and the Elephant Cave of Goa Gajah is on the edge of town.

Da Nang has a real night out, if a relaxed one. Evenings start with walks along the river under the lit bridges, then move to rooftop bars and open-air beer halls serving grilled shellfish. Behind the beach, An Thuong has craft beer and cocktail bars, and a few clubs near the river get loud at weekends.

Ubud keeps early hours to suit its dawn yoga and volcano treks. An evening means a long dinner, a garden bar and perhaps a band. For clubs, you face the long drive to Seminyak or Canggu.

Both have striking scenery close by, but in Ubud it is right outside the door. Da Nang has the forested Son Tra peninsula with its douc langurs, the ride over the Hai Van Pass, the cable car up the Ba Na Hills and rainforest trails at Bach Ma. It also has snorkelling off the Cham Islands and winter surf, though the heat and autumn rain limit serious hiking.

In Ubud you can walk from town into the rice terraces along the Campuhan Ridge or through the paddies to the north. You can raft the Ayung gorge, reach jungle waterfalls in a short drive, and climb Mount Batur in the dark to see the sunrise over the crater lake.

Da Nang has the stronger set of day trips within easy reach. Hoi An's lantern-lit old town is about three quarters of an hour away and worth more than one visit. The Cham ruins of My Son take about an hour and a half, and Hue's citadel and royal tombs make a long but rewarding day over the Hai Van Pass.

Ubud's outings are rich in temples: Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi, Besakih, Tanah Lot and the UNESCO-listed terraces of Jatiluwih. Almost every trip needs a hired driver, though, and Bali's slow roads limit how much fits into a day.

Da Nang is the easier choice with children. The long beach gives them room to play, and many resorts have pools and children's clubs. For other days there are the Ba Na Hills cable car, the Golden Bridge, an indoor amusement park, a riverside Ferris wheel and water parks. The downsides are the motorbike traffic, rough pavements and the rainy autumn.

Ubud welcomes children just as warmly, but it has no beach, few pavements, macaques that grab at bags, and most outings mean time in a car. It works better for older children who enjoy rafting, rice-field walks and dance shows than for toddlers.

Neither town has a metro or buses worth relying on, but Da Nang is much simpler to get around. App-booked cars and motorbike taxis are everywhere and the land is flat. The river centre, the beach, the Marble Mountains and Hoi An are all short rides apart along a straight coastal road.

In Ubud, distances are longer than they look, the roads climb steeply in and out of the river valleys, and pavements are narrow and broken. Days have to be planned around a driver or a hotel shuttle, and if you want to walk to dinner, stay near the centre.

Shopping in Da Nang is practical. Han and Con markets sell coffee, dried seafood and fabrics, the malls carry international chains, and the workshops of Non Nuoc carve stone figures of every size. For tailoring, lanterns and leather, most people go to Hoi An.

Ubud is better for things to take home. The Art Market faces the palace, and each village on the road into town has its own craft: woodcarving in Mas, silver in Celuk and painting in Batuan. Jalan Hanoman adds small boutiques selling linen, yoga wear and natural cosmetics. Neither place is for luxury or fashion.

Both are cheap, but Da Nang makes a budget go further. Street noodles, app taxis, massages and mid-range hotels a block from the beach all cost little. Only the big resorts and the Ba Na Hills charge international rates.

Ubud's homestays, warungs and day drivers are also good value, but it is easy to slip into the town's pricier side. The luxury jungle resorts above the gorges, the cafés aimed at visitors and heavily taxed imported wine can push costs close to European levels.

Da Nang has little to see on stage. Tuong classical theatre is performed only now and then and mainly for locals, and the bars near the beach have cover bands. The big events are the summer fireworks festival over the Han River and the staged shows and bai choi singing games in Hoi An.

Ubud has something to watch every evening. Legong, Barong and Kecak dances are performed to live gamelan in the palace courtyard, at Pura Taman Saraswati and in village temples, by troupes with long traditions of their own. Beyond dance there is little else, and there is no theatre or concert hall.

Da Nang is a good place to unwind. There are massage parlours on most streets near the beach and resort spas on Son Tra, with a hot springs park about 30km out. The pace is easy, with early swims and long coffees, but rest is not the reason people come.

In Ubud, rest is the reason people come. Yoga runs from dawn to dusk, retreats last up to several weeks, and sound healing and traditional healers are part of ordinary life. Many visitors also join the purification ritual at Tirta Empul. Even near the noisy main road, a few steps into the paddies are enough to find quiet.