Nha Trang or Pattaya?

Nha Trang's beach is the heart of the town: a sandy crescent along Tran Phu where you can swim straight from the promenade. For clearer water there are boat trips to the island bays, and longer outings to the empty sands towards Cam Ranh or the shallow water at Doc Let.

Pattaya's sea is warmer through more of the year, but the main beach is cloudy and full of jet skis. Real swimming means going to Jomtien or Na Jomtien, or taking the 45-minute ferry to the pale sand of Tien and Samae on Koh Larn, which fills with day trippers at weekends.

Both are seafood towns with plenty of tourist menus near the beach, so the difference is in the cooking. Nha Trang is the place for central Vietnamese street dishes, such as fish-cake noodle soup, nem nuong pork rolls and banh can, along with a strong drip-coffee habit. Pattaya offers Thai food, with som tam, grilled pork, long rows of night-market stalls and seafood cooked to order on the Naklua waterfront, plus a broader range of familiar Western dishes for homesick travellers.

Neither is a culture destination, and each has about a day of sights. Nha Trang's are older and still in use, chiefly the Cham towers of Po Nagar and the white hilltop Buddha of Long Son, with the small Yersin museum adding some history. Pattaya's one sight of real quality is the carved teak Sanctuary of Truth at Naklua, and most of its other attractions are illusion galleries and replica floating markets.

Nightlife is what Pattaya is famous for, and it is the main reason many people go. There are the clubs and live-band bars of Walking Street, hundreds of open-fronted beer bars off Second Road, rooftop bars over the bay, beach bars in Jomtien and a gay quarter at Boyztown. Much of it is tied to the sex trade, which sets the tone of the centre.

Nha Trang's nights are smaller and simpler. There are a few backpacker blocks behind the seafront and fire shows on the sand, while locals go out in big groups over beer and grilled seafood. That is enough for a lively evening, but it is not a reason to choose the town.

Nha Trang has the finer setting, with a ring of steep green islands in front and mountains behind. The protected marine area around Hon Mun is the outdoor highlight. Inland, the rocky stream and pools at Ba Ho and the forests of Hon Ba and Yang Bay make easy half days out.

Pattaya's outdoors is almost all on the water: snorkelling off Koh Larn and Koh Sak, dives on sunken naval ships and kitesurfing at Na Jomtien. On land the country is flat, hot and built up. Nong Nooch's gardens and the Khao Kheow hills are the main green escapes.

Pattaya is the better base for getting out. Bangkok's royal palace and riverside temples are about two hours away, though it makes a long day. Koh Samet's white beaches, the fishing town of Si Racha with its ferry to Koh Si Chang, and the Thai family resort of Bang Saen are all within reach.

From Nha Trang the one strong outing is Phan Rang, two hours south, for the Po Klong Garai towers and the Cham pottery and weaving villages. Otherwise the choice is island fishing villages such as Binh Ba, and Dalat needs a night away.

Nha Trang works a little better with children. Its town beach is sandy, gentle in the dry season and right in front of the hotels, and the Hon Tre island park puts rides, a water park and an aquarium into one day out. The turtle tanks at the Oceanographic Institute and messy afternoons in the mud baths add easy outings.

Pattaya has plenty for children too, including water parks, a walk-through aquarium and the Khao Kheow zoo with its night safari, but most of these need a taxi. Families tend to stay in Jomtien to avoid the bar streets after dark. In both towns, the heat, traffic and broken pavements make walking with a pushchair hard work.

Nha Trang is easier to manage on foot, as long as you stay near the sea. The hotels, restaurants and main beach line a single promenade you can walk from end to end, and for anything further a ride-hailing car or motorbike taxi is the quick answer. The effort comes at the edges of the trip: Cam Ranh airport is about 35km south, so arriving means a transfer, and the islands that make the bay worth the journey can only be reached by boat.

Pattaya has no such compact strip, but it does have something close to public transport. Shared pick-up trucks called songthaews run along the coast and out to Jomtien and Naklua, so moving between beaches needs no app or booking once you have ridden one. Walking is harder going, with narrow, obstructed pavements and heat that wears you down, and the zoo, gardens and water parks inland all mean a taxi. Neither town has a metro or tram.

Pattaya is the more practical place to shop. It has big air-conditioned malls on Beach Road and Second Road, night markets at Thepprasit and Jomtien, and tailors who will make a suit within days. Nha Trang has little beyond the round Cho Dam market hall, the night market by the beach and local specialities such as pearls, agarwood and dried squid, which make good gifts but not a reason to go shopping. Neither town has much in the way of design or luxury shops.

Both are very cheap places for a beach vacation. In both, street food, massages and short rides cost little, while beachfront resorts, imported drinks and boat trips push the bill up. Nha Trang is slightly kinder overall, with sea-view hotels at low rates and temples that charge little. Pattaya's surplus of rooms makes the wet season and long condo stays especially cheap.

Pattaya has more to watch, though nearly all of it is staged for visitors. There is ladyboy cabaret in big theatres every night, dinner shows with Thai dance and martial arts, and cover bands along Walking Street. Nha Trang offers little beyond bands in hotel lounges and the occasional Cham music or folk dance show at the temples. Neither town has theatre, classical music or jazz.

Nha Trang has the more distinctive way to unwind: a half day in warm mineral mud and hot spring pools near Thap Ba. It also has reflexology shops on every street and spa resorts on the quieter bays outside town.

Pattaya has Thai massage, good day spas, and resorts in Naklua, Na Jomtien and on the Pratamnak headland that are built for rest. It has no bathing or hot-spring tradition, though, and some massage parlours belong to the nightlife trade. In both towns the centre stays noisy late, so the calmest stays are outside it.