Different meditation approaches within Theravada

I talked to a monk at a Thai Theravada based monastery recently and he told me that they primarily use breath meditation and jhana to gain awakening. And then there are other traditions, like yours, that emphasis vipassana to gain awakening. To me, they seem like completely different paths. Do you know why it is that different monasteries within the same regional tradition of Theravada have completely different approaches? Are they equally useful in gaining awakening?