Phnom Penh or Vientiane?

Neither city is a place to swim, and in both the hotel pool is what gets you through the heat. What differs is how far away the water is. From Phnom Penh, the coast at Kep and Kampot is about three hours by road, close enough to add a few nights by the sea to the trip. Vientiane is a long way from any sea, and the nearest place to cool off is the river and lagoons around Vang Vieng.

Both cities kept the French taste for baguettes and strong coffee, and both eat best when it is cheap and local, so the difference is more in flavour than in quality. Khmer cooking in Phnom Penh is gentler and more herbal: fish amok, kuy teav at market counters, and a café culture across BKK1. A few restaurants rework Khmer dishes for fine dining.

Lao food in Vientiane is sharper and hotter: sticky rice eaten by hand, larb and pounded papaya salad. It is best at the grill stalls along the Mekong with a Beerlao. Phnom Penh has a bit more depth at the top end, while in Vientiane the list of fine-dining places is short.

Phnom Penh has far more to see. The Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the Angkorian sculpture of the National Museum stand together on the riverfront. Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek show the Khmer Rouge years in a way that stays with you. Together they fill two or three full days.

Vientiane's temples, Pha That Luang, Wat Si Saket and Haw Phra Kaew, make an unhurried day or two. The COPE centre on unexploded ordnance and the strange concrete figures of Buddha Park are the visits people remember. Nothing there matches Phnom Penh's museum.

Phnom Penh is the city for a night out. Drinks at sunset on rooftops over the Tonle Sap lead on to the small cocktail bars of Bassac Lane. Clubs near the riverside and on Street 51 then run into the early morning, rough edges and all.

Vientiane's evenings are Beerlao at riverside tables and a few backpacker bars, good for a sunset drink. The city is mostly asleep by midnight, so there is little reason to stay out late.

Vientiane is much the better base for getting outdoors. Vang Vieng, about an hour north by train, has limestone karst with caves, climbing, kayaking and balloon flights. The forest trails and waterfalls of Phou Khao Khouay and the islands of the Nam Ngum reservoir are closer still.

Phnom Penh's floodplain offers milder outings: a bike ride past the stilt houses of Koh Dach, a sunset boat trip on the rivers and the rescued sun bears at Phnom Tamao. For real hills you have to go to Kirirom, about two and a half hours away.

The railway north gives Vientiane the stronger day trips. Vang Vieng is about an hour away and Luang Prabang's temples about two, which makes for a long but possible day. Crossing the Friendship Bridge to the sculpture garden at Nong Khai adds a short trip into Thailand.

Phnom Penh's outings are quieter and closer to home: the stupas of Oudong, the lakeside temple at Tonle Bati, and the pottery and floating villages of Kampong Chhnang. They are pleasant, but none draws you the way Luang Prabang does.

Both cities welcome children warmly and both are hard work with them, so neither has a real advantage. Phnom Penh has more to fill a day, with Phnom Tamao, river cruises and malls with play areas and ice rinks, but its traffic is heavy and its main sights are not for children. Vientiane is calmer on the streets but has less to do beyond a small water park and the giant statues of Buddha Park.

Neither city has a metro, and in both you get around by tuk-tuk or ride-hailing app, on broken pavements. The difference is the traffic. In Phnom Penh, constant motorbikes make crossing a road nerve-racking and keep walks short. Vientiane's small centre and light traffic let you walk between the temples and the riverfront, or cycle its flat streets, if the heat allows.

Phnom Penh gives a shopper more ground to cover. The stalls of the Russian Market sell silk, silver, carvings and overrun clothing from local factories. The art deco Central Market sells jewellery and gold, and fair-trade boutiques around Street 240 sell crafts and Kampot pepper.

Vientiane comes down to textiles, and it does them well. It has handwoven Lao silk and cotton with patterns that differ from one ethnic group to the next, sinh skirts in small weaving galleries, and a riverside night market for souvenirs. Neither city has a fashion scene.

Both are among the cheapest capitals you can visit, with market meals, massages and tuk-tuk rides costing very little. Vientiane makes your money go slightly further. In both, imported wine and Western restaurants cost about what they would at home. One practical difference: in Phnom Penh, ride-hailing apps take away most of the haggling over tuk-tuk fares, while in Vientiane you agree the fare before setting off.

Phnom Penh has one performance worth planning an evening around: classical Khmer dance. It was nearly lost under the Khmer Rouge and rebuilt by the Royal University of Fine Arts. Evening shows near the National Museum add masked dance and shadow puppetry, and larger events are held at the Chaktomuk Theatre.

In Vientiane, the nearest equivalent is a show for visitors of Lao dance and khaen music, along with cover bands in bars and temple festivals if your dates fall right. Neither city has opera or an orchestra.

Vientiane is the better place to unwind. Its Lao herbal saunas, wooden steam rooms scented with lemongrass and tamarind, are often run beside temples such as Wat Sok Pa Luang and finish with tea and a massage. Phnom Penh has nothing like them, and Vientiane's slow pace does the rest.

Phnom Penh relies on massage: Khmer and foot massage on most streets, blind-masseur centres, and villa hotels with garden pools on quiet streets. Even so, traffic, dust and noise are never far away.