Vietnam Visa for Indians: e-Visa, Fees & 2026 Rules (Latest)

Vietnam Visa for Indians: e-Visa, Fees & 2026 Rules (Latest)

✅ Last verified on-the-ground: 2026-06-26

Indians need a visa for Vietnam? Here is the vietnam visa free for indian latest news for 2026: no visa-free entry exists, and the only realistic option today is the 90-day e-Visa costing ₹2,410 (~25 USD). There is no visa-on-arrival for Indian passport holders anymore, so don’t trust any blog (agent) that tells you to “just fly in and pay at the airport.” Apply online at the official portal at least 3 working days before departure. Verified against the Vietnam Immigration Department’s public e-Visa site on 26 June 2026.

This page is the single visa reference for Indian travellers going to Vietnam. If your situation is unusual (work permit, long-term study, multiple entries within 90 days), read the whole thing. Everyone else can jump straight to the Step-by-Step section.

Subodh’s Pro Tip: The ₹2,410 (~25 USD) figure is the only correct number. I’ve seen agents quote “₹2,410 (~25 USD)+ ₹1,928 (~20 USD) stamping fee” or “₹2,410 (~25 USD)+ service charge.” That is incorrect. You pay ₹2,410 (~25 USD) once, on the official portal, and you get a printable e-Visa. Anyone asking for more is either a reseller or confused.

Quick Answers

What	Answer	Price (INR)
Visa required for Indians?	Yes (e-Visa)	,
Primary visa type	e-Visa (90 days, multiple entry)	₹2,410 (~25 USD)
Fallback / alternative	None. VoA is no longer available for Indian passport holders.	,
Processing time	3 working days (often faster)	,
Validity / max stay	90 days, multiple entry	,
Extension possible?	Yes, at Vietnam Immigration offices	₹5,302 (~55 USD)
Mandatory arrival form	None for e-Visa holders (TDAC-style form is for Thailand)	,

The price column uses ₹ for rupee-native costs and USD for Vietnam-specific costs. A bare “₹2,410 (~25 USD)” or “₹2,408 (~$24.98)” in this table is correct; the surrounding text shows the same figure with the same currency.

Visa Types Compared

There are three visa types Indians hear about. Only one of them applies to you.

1. E-Visa (the only realistic option for Indian tourists)

This is the visa you’ll get. 90 days, multiple entry, single fee of ₹2,410 (~25 USD), applied for online at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. The e-Visa is valid at most major airports, all land border crossings, and a few seaports (full list is on the portal itself). It works for tourism, business meetings, and short-term family visits.

• Who it’s for: Indian tourists, business visitors, anyone staying under 90 days.
• Fee: ₹2,410 (~25 USD). No agent fees, no stamping fee, no service charge on the official portal.
• Duration: 90 days per stay, valid for multiple entries within that window.
• Processing time: Officially 3 working days. In practice most applications come back in 24-48 hours.
• Why it’s better than the alternative: It’s the only option, so there’s no “alternative” to compare against for most Indian travellers.

2. Visa on Arrival (NOT available for Indian passport holders)

There was a time when Indians could fly into Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, present a pre-approved letter, and get a visa stamped at the counter. That window closed. As of 2026, Vietnamese immigration does not issue VoA to Indian passport holders at any airport, and the VoA “pre-approved letter” industry that grew up around it is no longer relevant for Indian travellers.

If a travel agent in India is still selling you a “Vietnam VoA letter,” they’re either selling a letter to a third country (Laos or Cambodia, mostly) or charging you for a service you don’t need. Walk away.

3. Visa exemption (doesn’t apply to Indian passport holders)

Vietnam has a list of 25 countries whose citizens can enter visa-free. India is not on it. You may have seen older articles saying “Indians can stay 45 days visa-free” or similar, but those were either misreports of a bilateral negotiation that didn’t finalise, or confusion with the e-Visa rule. There is no visa-free entry for Indians today, and there is no announced policy shift on the horizon.

Safety Alert: Do not board your flight assuming you can “sort the visa at the airport.” Vietnam’s immigration counters will not let Indian passport holders in without a pre-approved e-Visa. Travellers have been refused boarding at the departure gate, and turned back at the border. The only fix is to apply online before you leave India.

For a deeper comparison of the e-Visa, VoA, and exemption rules, see the Vietnam visa hub for Indian passport holders.

Step-by-Step: How to Apply

The process is short and the portal is English-friendly. Budget 20 minutes if your documents are ready.

1. Go to the official portal. Open evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. Do not use any other domain. There are dozens of clone sites that charge 2x to 3x the official fee and offer nothing extra. If the URL has anything other than xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, you’re on the wrong site.
2. Upload your photo and passport bio page. Photo must be 4x6 cm, white background, taken within the last 6 months, no glasses, no smiling. Passport bio page must be a clear scan, full page, no cut corners. For the exact photo rules Indians most often get wrong, see the Vietnam visa photo size guide.
3. Fill in the application form. Name exactly as on your passport (no Aadhaar spelling, no anglicised version). Entry/exit dates, port of arrival, temporary address in Vietnam (a hotel name is fine, even if you haven’t booked yet). Email for the e-Visa to be sent to.
4. Pay the ₹2,410 (~25 USD) fee. Credit or debit card on the portal. At current rates, ₹2,410 (~25 USD)= about ₹2,408 (~$24.98). The portal will email you a confirmation with an application code.
5. Wait 3 working days. Most applications are approved in 24-48 hours. The e-Visa arrives as a PDF in your inbox, with your photo, passport number, and the 90-day window printed on it.
6. Print and carry. Print two copies of the e-Visa PDF. One for immigration on arrival, one as a backup. Keep a soft copy on your phone and in your email.

The full process with screenshots is in the Vietnam e-Visa step-by-step application guide.

Safety Alert: Avoid agents and third-party portals. The official fee is ₹2,410 (~25 USD), and the official portal is the only place you can pay it. Resellers commonly charge ₹4,000 (~$41.49) to ₹8,000 (~$82.98) for the same form. If anyone tells you the form “requires an agent,” they’re wrong.

If you’re on a tight timeline, the Vietnam visa processing time guide breaks down real approval windows and what to do if yours is delayed.

At the Airport / Border

Immigration at major Vietnamese airports (Hanoi Noi Bai, Ho Chi Minh Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang) is fast for Indian e-Visa holders. The flow looks like this:

1. Foreign passport / e-Visa counter. Lines are usually shorter than the Vietnamese-citizen and visa-required queues. Have your printed e-Visa, passport, return ticket, and hotel booking ready.
2. Documents checked. Officer flips between your e-Visa printout and your passport bio page, scans your fingerprints, and asks the standard questions: “purpose of visit,” “how long,” “where are you staying.” Answer in English; the officers at tourist airports speak enough of it.
3. Stamp and go. You get a 90-day entry stamp in your passport. Don’t lose the departure card they staple into your passport, you hand it back when you leave.

Land borders (different rules, watch out)

The e-Visa works at all Vietnamese land borders, but the experience varies. The crossings Indian backpackers use:

• Lao Bao (Vietnam-Laos) and Moc Bai (Vietnam-Cambodia): both accept the e-Visa, both can be slow. Carry cash for the visa stamping fee at the border (often ₹96-₹193 (~1-2 USD) per person for “service”).
• Direct Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh: the Moc Bai crossing guide covers the e-Visa validity on this route specifically.
• Savannakhet to Hue (via Lao Bao): the Savannakhet-Hue crossing guide covers the same on the Laos-Vietnam side.

Photo and document rules

• Photo: 4x6 cm, white background, no glasses, taken within 6 months. The photo size guide has the exact pixel dimensions and the upload format.
• Passport validity: at least 6 months beyond your entry date, with at least 2 blank pages.
• Return ticket: immigration may ask for proof of onward travel. A return or onward flight booked but not paid in full is usually fine; print the itinerary.
• Hotel booking: not strictly checked at every border, but have a printout just in case.

Extensions & Overstay

If 90 days isn’t enough (it almost always is for tourists, but for family reasons or a long remote work stint, it can come up), you can extend the e-Visa at a Vietnam Immigration office in-country.

• Where: Vietnam Immigration Department offices in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and a few other cities. The Ho Chi Minh City office is the one most Indian backpackers end up at.
• Cost: Starts around ₹5,302 (~55 USD) for a 30-day extension. Costs rise if you extend a second time or if the visa has already expired.
• Lead time: Apply at least 7 days before your current visa expires. Walk-ins are accepted but get charged a premium.
• Documents needed: passport, current e-Visa printout, proof of address in Vietnam (hotel booking or rental), completed extension form.

Overstay penalties

Vietnam is strict. Overstay fines start at roughly ₹2,410 (~25 USD) per day (about ₹2,400 (~$24.90)) and escalate. Repeated overstays, or overstays of more than a few weeks, can lead to detention, deportation at your own cost, and a blacklist that prevents future entry. If your 90 days are running out, either leave the country and re-enter (the e-Visa is multiple entry, so a quick trip to Cambodia or Laos resets the clock) or apply for the extension on time.

For the full list of common rejection reasons at the e-Visa stage, the Vietnam visa rejection rate for Indians has the data.

Common Mistakes & Rejection Reasons

These are the mistakes that cause e-Visa rejections, in order of how often I see them.

1. Name mismatch between Aadhaar, PAN, and passport

Your e-Visa application asks for “full name as in passport.” Many Indians fill in their Aadhaar spelling (which often has a different first letter, a missing middle name, or a different order of given name and surname) and submit. The application gets rejected on mismatch, or worse, gets approved with the wrong name and then you’re stuck explaining it to the immigration officer on arrival.

Fix: Use your passport spelling, character for character, including the order. The same spelling should be on your flight ticket.

2. Photo with glasses, smile, or wrong dimensions

The portal rejects photos that show glasses, an open mouth, a busy background, or dimensions other than 4x6 cm. Photo studios in India can do this on request. Some studios will hand you a “passport photo” that’s 3.5x4.5 cm (the Schengen/Indian passport size) and you’ll get rejected on upload.

Fix: Get the 4x6 cm photo made specifically. The photo size guide has the exact specs and a free resizer link.

3. Applying less than 3 working days before departure

Officially the processing time is 3 working days, in practice it’s faster, but if you apply on Friday afternoon and the approval comes Tuesday morning, you’re already cutting it close. If something goes wrong (photo rejection, payment failure, public holiday), you have zero buffer.

Fix: Apply 7-10 days before departure, especially for trips starting around Vietnamese public holidays (Tet, Independence Day, National Day).

4. Trusting an agent who quotes extra fees

Agents selling “Vietnam VoA letter” services in India are either selling you something you don’t need, or charging a markup on a process you can do yourself for free in 20 minutes.

Fix: Use evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn directly. There is no agent required, and no agent who can do anything on this portal that you can’t do yourself.

5. Booking return flights for less than 90 days when you want to stay longer

If you tell immigration you have a return ticket for 7 days after entry, but you plan to stay 60, you create a contradiction. It rarely causes a refusal on the e-Visa itself, but it can cause a stop-question at the border.

Fix: Book a flexible return or onward ticket, or have a clear plan for the entire 90 days.

Getting Connected

You clear immigration, you step out of the airport, and you need a SIM or eSIM before the Grab app loads. The cheapest reliable option at the airport is a Viettel or Mobifone tourist SIM: 14 days, around ₹479 (~130,000 VND or ~$4.97), with roughly 6GB of data. You can buy these at the official Viettel/Mobifone counters in the arrivals hall of Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, and Da Nang airports. Avoid the unofficial SIM stalls near the exit doors, they mark up.

If you’d rather skip the airport counter, an eSIM works the moment you land. Get Nomad eSIM gets you connected before takeoff.

FAQ

Do Indians need a visa for Vietnam in 2026? Yes. Indian passport holders need a visa for any visit, short or long. The only realistic option is the 90-day e-Visa, which costs ₹2,410 (~25 USD) and is applied for online at the official portal.

Can Indians get a Vietnam visa on arrival? No. Vietnam stopped issuing visas on arrival to Indian passport holders years ago. Any agent still offering a “VoA letter” is either selling a service that doesn’t exist, or selling a letter for a different country. Apply for the e-Visa online instead.

How many days can an Indian stay in Vietnam without a visa? Zero. There is no visa-free entry for Indian passport holders. The 90-day e-Visa is the standard tourist option.

What is the Vietnam e-Visa fee for Indians in 2026? ₹2,410 (~25 USD), paid online at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. That’s the only fee. There is no agent fee, no service charge, no stamping fee on arrival. The fee converts to about ₹2,408 at current rates.

How long does the e-Visa take to process? Officially 3 working days. In practice most applications are approved within 24-48 hours. Apply 7-10 days before departure for buffer.

Can I extend my Vietnam e-Visa? Yes. Apply at a Vietnam Immigration office (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, others). 30-day extensions start at about ₹5,302 (~55 USD), paid in Vietnamese dong at the office. Apply at least 7 days before your visa expires.

Do I need a return ticket to enter Vietnam on an e-Visa? Not strictly required to be held, but immigration may ask. A booked itinerary (even refundable) is usually enough. Carry a printout just in case.

Subodh’s Take

Vietnam’s e-Visa is one of the cleanest visa systems in Southeast Asia, and Indians are genuinely lucky to have a 90-day multiple-entry option for ₹2,410 (~25 USD). The process is faster than Thailand’s, cheaper than Cambodia’s, and the only thing that goes wrong is people using agents who quote three times the official fee. Skip the agents, apply directly at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, print two copies, and you’re done. If you have a long trip ahead, the 90-day window covers most backpacker itineraries in full, and a quick exit to Cambodia or Laos and re-entry gives you another 90 days if you need it.

Safety Alert: For current safety conditions before you travel, check the official Indian MEA travel advisory at mea.gov.in and Vietnam’s own entry/advisory pages. Treat any “2026 unrest” or “border tension” claims you see on social media with caution, and rely on government sources, not forwarded WhatsApp messages.