Ha Long or Hue?

Neither city is a beach destination, but the swimming works differently. In Ha Long you mostly swim from the bay itself: off a cruise boat in a quiet corner or at small island beaches such as Ti Top. Bai Chay's town beach is shallow and often cloudy.

Hue has no beach in town. Thuan An is a plain local strip about 15km out, and Lang Co, over an hour south, is the prettier day out. Ha Long's sea turns too cool in winter, while Hue's turns rough in the autumn rains.

Hue is the better place to eat. Its cooking comes from the old royal kitchens and is spicier and more varied: bun bo Hue, saucers of banh beo, com hen with river clams, and a strong Buddhist vegetarian tradition, all served at stalls that make one dish well.

Ha Long's strength is narrower. Choosing crabs and mantis shrimp from the tanks in Hon Gai or on the Bai Chay waterfront is a pleasure, and the cha muc squid cakes are worth trying. Beyond seafood and northern breakfast staples there is little, and meals on the cruise boats are set menus.

Here the two are far apart. Hue was the imperial capital, and its moated citadel holds the Ngo Mon gate, the Thai Hoa throne hall and the ruins of the Forbidden Purple City. Upriver, the tombs of Tu Duc, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh each have a character of their own, and Thien Mu pagoda and the Kim Long garden houses fill out the days.

Ha Long is a young city whose great sight is a landscape. The Quang Ninh Museum in Hon Gai is worth an afternoon, and a floating village such as Cua Van gives a glimpse of life on the water, but a day in town exhausts it.

Both cities go to bed early, but the evenings are different. Hue has a few streets of backpacker bars on the south bank with happy hours and loud music, plus a riverside night market. Ha Long's evenings are local beer halls, karaoke and seafood dinners in Bai Chay. On a cruise, a night out means a drink on the sundeck and some squid fishing.

Ha Long has one of the world's great seascapes. Close to two thousand forested limestone islets rise from the water, with caves such as Sung Sot to explore and enclosed lagoons reached by kayak. The quieter Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha bays, and Cat Ba's trails and climbing, extend it further.

Hue's setting is softer: pine hills along the Perfume River, rice fields to cycle through and the wide Tam Giang lagoon. Bach Ma's forest waterfalls and the Hai Van Pass add some drama, but heavy autumn rain puts much of it out of reach.

Hue has more varied outings within reach. To the north are the old Demilitarised Zone sites, including the Vinh Moc tunnels and Khe Sanh. To the south, the Hai Van Pass leads past Lang Co to Da Nang, by road or by coastal train. The incense and conical-hat villages make easy half-days.

Ha Long's best trip is Yen Tu, the forested Zen mountain an hour inland. Hai Phong's colonial port and the Bach Dang battlefield come next, but the choice is shorter.

Ha Long has far more that children enjoy for its own sake. On the boat they can pick out animal shapes in the cave rocks and paddle a kayak, and back in Bai Chay the Sun World complex has its cable car out over the water and a giant Ferris wheel. Overnight cruises suit school-age children better than toddlers, and days on land in summer are hot and loud with motorbikes.

In Hue, children see what their parents came for: palaces, throne halls and royal tombs, with no zoo, aquarium or play park to break up the history. The time children enjoy most is spent on the move, on a dragon boat on the Perfume River, in a cyclo or running across the open Citadel grounds. That fills a couple of days with older children, but it is thin for a longer stay with little ones.

Hue is the easier city to move around. Its centre is small and flat: the south-bank hotels, the river and the Citadel are all an easy walk or bike ride apart. Only the tombs upriver need a taxi, motorbike or boat.

Ha Long stretches along the bay in two halves, Bai Chay and Hon Gai, joined by a long bridge. Pavements are patchy, so beyond the Bai Chay waterfront most visitors take cheap taxis or ride-hailing cars. Cruise transfers to Tuan Chau are usually included.

Neither is a shopping city, though Hue has more to take home. Dong Ba market is a large working hall, and the city's own crafts include conical hats with poems hidden in the leaves, sesame candy and incense from Thuy Xuan. Tailors work in the hotel streets.

Ha Long offers a souvenir night market, cultured pearl showrooms and dried squid from Ha Long market.

Both are very cheap, and Hue is cheaper still. Its guesthouses, stall food, cyclos and bike hire cost next to nothing, and the main extras are entry tickets to the Citadel and the tombs.

Ha Long is cheap on land too, but the overnight cruise usually takes the biggest share of the budget. Seafood on the waterfront should be weighed and priced before it is cooked.

Hue has a real if modest tradition. Nha nhac court music is performed in the Citadel, ca Hue singers perform on lantern-lit dragon boats on the Perfume River, and the Hue Festival brings a wider programme in its season.

Ha Long has little beyond staged shows at the Bai Chay entertainment complex and some folk singing on the cruise boats.

Ha Long has the better way to switch off, but only once you are on the water. A night anchored in a sheltered cove, tai chi on deck at dawn and the spas on the better boats are hard to beat. The Quang Hanh hot springs onsen is about forty minutes away. The town itself is noisy.

Hue's calm is spread through the whole city: pagodas, Kim Long gardens, quiet evenings and cheap massage. For a proper soak, the Thanh Tan springs are about an hour out.