Hoi An or Penang?

Hoi An's beach is an easy bicycle ride from the old town. An Bang and the almost unbroken sand running north give calm, warm swimming from spring through summer, and splitting a stay between town and coast is easy. The catch is the autumn monsoon, when red flags go up.

Penang has warmer water year-round, but Batu Ferringhi's sea is often murky and jellyfish appear in some seasons. The cleaner coves in the national park take a forest walk or a boat to reach. Here the beach is an afternoon out rather than a reason to come.

Hoi An has a short list of dishes that are truly its own. Cao lau noodles and white rose dumplings are hard to find made properly anywhere else, and the town's generously stuffed banh mi is a well-known local take on a national favourite. Early mornings at the riverside market and cooking classes that begin in the Tra Que gardens add to the appeal. Still, the riverfront menus soon repeat, and there is little international cooking or fine dining.

Penang has far more to eat. Hokkien, Malay, Tamil Muslim and Nyonya traditions meet at single-dish stalls that have made the same plate for decades, from charcoal-fired char kway teow to sour assam laksa and nasi kandar. Breakfast is taken seriously and some stalls sell out by noon. A week of eating here still leaves dishes untried.

The two towns are closely matched. Both are former trading ports whose appeal lies in the streetscape as a whole rather than in big museums, and both take a couple of days to see.

Hoi An is smaller and more unified: wooden merchant houses, the Japanese Bridge and Chinese assembly halls, at their best by lantern light. George Town is broader and more mixed. Clan houses such as Khoo Kongsi, a mosque, a Hindu temple and an Anglican church stand within a few streets of each other, and Kek Lok Si adds a huge temple complex beyond the centre.

Neither is a party town, but Penang gives you more to do after dinner. Late hawker suppers lead on to bars around Chulia Street and Love Lane, and Upper Penang Road has a couple of clubs. Drinks are pricey there because of alcohol taxes.

Hoi An's evenings are about the lantern-lit riverbank and a quiet drink. A few backpacker bars on An Hoi islet stay open a little later, and for a real night out you have to go to Da Nang.

Hoi An has the edge. Rice paddies and the Tra Que gardens are right by town, and you can explore the Cam Thanh palm waterways by basket boat. The Cham Islands offer coral for snorkelling, and the Hai Van Pass and Son Tra peninsula are within reach for wilder scenery, as long as the autumn storms hold off.

Penang's green spaces are forest rather than farmland. You can take the funicular or hike up Penang Hill for cooler air and canopy walks, or follow the jungle trails of the national park to a lighthouse and turtle beach. It works well for a morning out, though there is no big wilderness beyond it.

Hoi An's outings are close and substantial. The ruined Cham temples of My Son are an hour inland, and Da Nang's Museum of Cham Sculpture is under an hour north. Hue is too far for a day trip.

From Penang you have to cross to the mainland first. Ipoh's limestone cave temples and food are the best reason, about two hours away, with quieter options in Taiping and royal Kuala Kangsar. Most visitors simply stay on the island.

Hoi An is slightly easier with children. The car-free old town is small, and the activities are hands-on: lantern-making, basket boats and cycling through paddies, with gentle swimming in the calm season.

Penang offers more ready-made attractions, including the water park and butterfly park at Teluk Bahang, the Penang Hill funicular and George Town's trick-art museums. Broken five-foot ways, heavy traffic and the heat make getting between them more tiring.

Getting around Hoi An mostly means a borrowed bicycle. The old town is largely free of motor traffic, and the beach and villages are a flat ride away. Anything further, such as the airport or My Son, needs a taxi or driver.

Penang has buses to the main sights and a free shuttle in George Town, but traffic slows everything down. The north coast road jams, and most visitors end up using ride-hailing apps for trips that look shorter on the map than they are.

Hoi An has a clear reason to shop. Its tailors make suits, dresses, shoes and bags to measure within a couple of days, and lanterns and ceramics fill the old town, though many shops sell the same things.

Penang's shopping is more scattered. There are standard malls along Gurney Drive and interesting browsing in Chowrasta Market, among Little India's spices and gold, and in the traditional workshops around Campbell Street. It is enjoyable, but you are unlikely to come home with a full suitcase.

Both are cheap, and Hoi An is cheaper still. Homestays with pools, almost nominal market meals and free bicycles make a modest budget go a long way, though the riverfront restaurants and old town entry fee cost a little more.

Penang's hawker meals, buses and temple visits are also inexpensive. Drinking is where costs climb, because heavy alcohol taxes make an evening of beers cost far more than one spent eating.

Penang has a little more on stage, mostly tied to the calendar. The George Town Festival fills old warehouses with theatre and dance, Straits Quay hosts local concerts, and the streets come alive with Chinese opera in Hungry Ghost month and with Thaipusam.

Hoi An's offer is short folk shows, the sung card game bai choi that visitors can join, and a large river spectacle staged for tourists.

Hoi An is the more restful stay. The pace is set by the river and the bicycle, massage is available at every level, yoga is easy to find, and resorts among the paddies or by the sea are made for doing nothing.

Penang offers cheap reflexology and Chinese and Malay massage, but George Town's heat and traffic noise get in the way of real rest. Most visitors who want quiet move to the Batu Ferringhi resorts or head up Penang Hill in the evening.