Vietnam visa for Indian passport 2026, paid e-Visa $25 / $50, 90-day stay
Vietnam requires a paid e-Visa for Indian passports, $25 single / $50 multi, 90 days, applied online. The 'visa-free for Indians' headlines are outdated. Here is the real 2026 rule set.
Update. May 2026: Indians apply for a paid e-Visa at evisa.gov.vn, $25 USD single-entry (~₹2,100) or $50 multiple-entry (~₹4,200), for a 90-day stay. The visa is processed in ~3 working days and emailed as a PDF. Half the Indian travel blogs still say "visa-free", they are wrong as of mid-2026.
Who this affects: every Indian passport holder, all purposes (tourism, business, transit longer than 24 hours). Children under 14 on a parent's passport get the same e-Visa at the same fee.
The application, step by step. Open evisa.gov.vn, not any of the lookalike .com sites that charge ₹6,000. Upload a passport bio-page scan (under 2 MB, JPG) and a recent 4x6 cm photo with white background. Fill in arrival port (Tan Son Nhat for Saigon, Noi Bai for Hanoi, Cam Ranh for Nha Trang, Da Nang for the centre). Pay $25 (single) or $50 (multi) by international debit card. Save the registration code, that is how you re-download the visa if your email loses it.
What immigration actually checks at landing. Officer needs three things: passport with 6+ months validity, the printed e-Visa PDF (do not rely on the phone screen, Wi-Fi at Noi Bai is unreliable), and proof of onward travel within 90 days. Cash proof has not been requested in the last 18 months for Indians, but carry a screenshot of your bank balance anyway as backup.
Onward ticket is the boarding-time gotcha. IndiGo, VietJet, and AirAsia refuse boarding for one-way Vietnam tickets unless you can show onward. A ₹1,500 12Go Asia bus ticket from Saigon to Phnom Penh satisfies the airline desk. Do not buy a refundable flight just for this, the bus ticket is enough.
Multi-country planning. Pair Vietnam with neighbouring countries using the Saigon to Phnom Penh routing or jump to Thailand's revised 30-day rule for a 2-country SE Asia loop. The 90-day Vietnam window gives you enough room to do a full Saigon + Hoi An + Hanoi + Sapa loop without rushing, then bus or fly into Cambodia for a fresh entry. Check June month timing or October shoulder for the best weather windows.
Daily costs in 2026. Hostel dorms in Saigon ₹600-900/night, mid-range hotels ₹2,500-4,500/night. Street pho ₹150, banh mi ₹80, a beer ₹100. Internal flights between Saigon and Hanoi ₹3,500-5,000 on VietJet. The e-Visa $25 is the smallest line item in any Vietnam trip budget. See current USD to INR conversion for live fee math.
FAQ in paragraph form. Can you extend beyond 90 days? Yes, but only by exiting and re-applying, Vietnam does not offer in-country tourist extensions for Indian passport holders. Will the visa-exempt policy come back? Vietnam's Tourism Ministry has hinted at restoring it for select markets including India, but no formal date has been set as of May 2026. Can you apply on arrival? No, Vietnam ended visa-on-arrival for tourism in 2024. The e-Visa must be in hand before you board the flight.
Generate a verified Vietnam plan in the AI Trip Architect with current 2026 INR costs, or check your odds of approval in 90 seconds at the Visa Odds tool. For the country page see Vietnam destination guide and Vietnam visa page.