How to Apply Vietnam Visa from India: Best Complete 2026 Guide

How to apply Vietnam visa from India is a question most Indian travelers only start asking a few weeks before their flight, and the good news is that the process is short. India is not on Vietnam's visa-exemption list, so every Indian passport holder needs an e-visa, a visa on arrival approval letter, or an embassy-issued visa sticker before entering the country.

For most Indian tourists and business travelers, the e-visa is the fastest route: you complete one online form, upload a passport photo, pay the fee, and receive the approved document by email. Indian citizens also have the option of a pre-approved visa letter for visa on arrival, or a visa sticker collected in person at the Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai.

This guide walks through each visa type available to Indian citizens, the documents you need, the exact application steps for both the e-visa and visa on arrival, and the fees and processing time you should budget for. It also covers where to get an embassy visa in India, which airports and border gates accept each visa type, and the mistakes that most often delay Indian applications.

Below, start with whether you need a visa at all, then move into the visa types, the document checklist, and the step-by-step application process for each route.

Vietnam visa from India in brief:

Do Indian citizens need a visa to visit Vietnam?

Yes. Indian citizens need a visa to enter Vietnam for tourism, business, or any other purpose. Vietnam grants unilateral visa exemption to a short list of countries, mostly in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe, and India is not on that list.

This means an Indian passport holder cannot simply land in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City without a visa arranged in advance, except through the visa on arrival route described below, which still requires a pre-approved letter obtained before departure. There is no walk-up visa counter for travelers who have not already applied.

If you are an Indian citizen planning a trip, you will need to choose one of three visa options before you book your flight: the e-visa, visa on arrival, or a visa sticker from a Vietnamese diplomatic mission in India. Each is explained in the next section, along with which travelers each option suits best.

What are the visa options for Indian travelers?

Indian citizens can obtain a Vietnam visa through three routes: the e-visa, visa on arrival, or a visa sticker issued directly by a Vietnamese embassy or consulate. Each route suits a different travel situation, and picking the right one before you apply saves time later.

Vietnam e-visa for Indian citizens

The e-visa is an electronic document issued by Vietnam's immigration authority and linked to your passport number. It is valid for a single entry or multiple entries, for a maximum stay of 90 days, and it is accepted at all Vietnam air, land, and sea border gates.

You apply for the e-visa entirely online. There is no need to visit an embassy, submit a physical passport, or attend an interview. Most Indian applicants choose the e-visa for this reason, and it is the option recommended in the in-brief table above.

Vietnam visa on arrival for Indian citizens

Visa on arrival works differently. You first apply online for an approval letter, a document issued by the Vietnam Immigration Department that confirms you are cleared to collect your visa at the airport. You then carry that letter, your passport, and two passport photos to the visa on arrival counter after landing, where you pay a separate visa stamping fee in cash and receive the visa stamp in your passport.

Note: visa on arrival is applicable to air travel only. If you plan to enter Vietnam by land or sea, apply for the e-visa instead.

Vietnam visa sticker from the Embassy or Consulate in India

The third route is a traditional visa sticker, applied for in person or through a visa agent at the Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai. This route suits Indian citizens who need a visa type the e-visa system does not cover, such as certain long-stay or business categories, or applicants whose passport has an irregularity that an online system cannot process.

Unlike the e-visa and visa on arrival, this route requires submitting your original passport at the mission's visa counter and collecting it once the sticker is issued, which typically takes several working days depending on the visa category requested.

What documents do you need to apply for a Vietnam visa from India?

Before you start the application, gather these documents:

• A passport with a validity of at least six (06) months from your planned entry date, with at least one blank page.
• A clear, scanned copy in .jpg format of your passport's bio page, showing the ICAO lines at the bottom clearly.
• A passport-sized photo in .jpg format (4x6cm, white background, no glasses), taken within the last 6 months.
• Your Vietnam entry and exit dates and your intended port of entry/exit.
• A valid international credit or debit card, or another accepted online payment method, for the visa fee.

Indian applicants sometimes assume a printed photo mailed separately is required. It is not: the e-visa and visa on arrival processes both accept a digital upload, and nothing needs to be posted to Vietnam or to India's Vietnamese missions. Only the embassy visa sticker route needs a physical document, and that document is your original passport, not a mailed photo.

Which ports of entry can Indian travelers use?

Both the e-visa and visa on arrival are tied to a specific port of entry/exit that you declare on your application, so choose it carefully before you submit the form.

• Air border gates: Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang International Airport, and Cam Ranh International Airport, among others.
• Land border gates: crossings connecting Vietnam with Cambodia, Laos, and China, used mainly by travelers combining a Vietnam trip with a wider Southeast Asia itinerary.
• Seaports: a small number of international seaports also accept e-visa holders.

Visa on arrival works only at the air border gates listed on the official airport list, so if your itinerary includes a land crossing at any point, apply for the e-visa instead of visa on arrival.

How to apply Vietnam visa from India: e-visa step by step

To apply for a Vietnam e-visa from India, follow these steps:

1. Go to the official government e-visa portal or a licensed service provider's application form and select Vietnam e-visa.
2. Fill in your personal details exactly as printed on your passport, then upload your passport bio page and passport-sized photo.
3. Choose single entry or multiple entry, and enter your planned arrival date and port of entry.
4. Pay the government fee (and service fee, if applying through an agency) online by card.
5. Wait for processing, then download and print the approved e-visa once you receive it by email.
6. Carry the printed e-visa along with your passport when you board your flight to Vietnam.

Note: some applicants also submit through a guaranteeing agency for extra support with form review, which can reduce the chance of a rejection due to a data-entry mistake.

How long does e-visa processing take for Indian applicants?

Standard e-visa processing for Indian citizens takes 5-7 working days. If your travel date is close, expedited processing is available in several tiers, down to as little as 1.5 working hours for the fastest emergency tier, which also covers weekends and public holidays.

How to apply for Vietnam visa on arrival from India step by step

Visa on arrival is a two-stage process: you secure the approval letter before you fly, then complete the stamping formality after you land. To apply for Vietnam visa on arrival from India, follow these steps:

1. Submit an online application for the approval letter through a licensed guaranteeing agency, since visa on arrival cannot be applied for directly on a government portal the way the e-visa can.
2. Receive the approval letter by email, typically within a few working days, and print two copies before you travel.
3. Prepare two passport-sized photos (4x6cm, white background, no glasses) and the visa stamping fee in cash for the airport counter.
4. Board your flight to Vietnam with your passport, the printed approval letter, your photos, and the cash fee.
5. Present all documents at the visa on arrival counter after landing and pay the stamping fee to receive your visa stamp.

Note: the stamping fee at the airport counter is non-refundable and separate from the service fee you already paid for the approval letter. Bring the exact amount in cash where possible.

What is the Vietnam visa fee for Indian citizens?

The Vietnam e-visa carries a government fee of USD 25 for single entry and USD 50 for multiple entry, regardless of nationality, and children under 14 pay a flat USD 25 as well. Indian applicants using a service provider to help with the form and to add expedited processing will pay an additional service fee on top of this government fee, and the total varies by how fast you need the visa returned.

Vietnam e-visa vs visa on arrival for Indians: which should you choose?

If you are flying directly into Vietnam and want the simplest process from start to finish, the e-visa is the better choice: no cash payment on arrival, no separate counter to queue at, and the same document works at land and sea border gates too. If your flight itinerary changed at the last minute and you are short on time before departure, visa on arrival can still work, since the approval letter can sometimes be processed on a similar timeline to an expedited e-visa, but you will need cash on hand at the airport for the stamping fee and you can only use this option by air.

What payment methods work for Indian applicants?

Most e-visa and visa on arrival applications from India accept an international credit or debit card issued by an Indian bank, provided the card is enabled for online international transactions. A few Indian cards are blocked for foreign currency payments by default, which is the most common reason a payment fails on the first attempt.

• Check with your bank in advance that international online transactions are enabled on your card.
• Keep a second card or an alternate payment method ready as a backup.
• Confirm the charge appears in USD, since the government fee and most service fees are billed in US dollars.

If you are still deciding between the e-visa and visa on arrival for your specific trip, applying through vietnamvisa-easy.com gives you both options in one place. As a private visa service agency, not a government body, the team can compare the e-visa and visa on arrival service tiers for you, confirm the exact fee for your entry type, and help if a document upload is rejected. Visit vietnamvisa-easy.com to start your Vietnam visa application or check the full Vietnam e-visa fee breakdown before you apply.

Where can Indian travelers get help with Vietnam visa formalities?

If you prefer in-person support, or if your case involves a business visa, a long-stay purpose, or a passport with an irregularity, the Vietnamese Embassy and Consulate General in India can help directly. For most straightforward tourist trips, though, an online e-visa application or a guaranteeing agency is faster than a visit to either mission.

Vietnamese Embassy and Consulate in India

The Embassy of Vietnam is located at EP-7A, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021, and its consular section is open Monday to Friday, 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM. You can also reach the embassy by phone at +91 11 2687 9868 or by email.

The Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai is at Unit 805, 8th Floor, Powai Plaza, Hiranandani Gardens, Central Avenue, Powai, Mumbai 400076, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and reachable at +91 22 2570 2033. Both offices can issue a visa sticker directly in your passport for cases the e-visa system does not cover, but neither office processes e-visa or visa on arrival applications, since those go through the online system instead.

Flight connectivity from India to Vietnam

Direct flights connect New Delhi to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines and IndiGo, Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh City on VietJet Air, and Kolkata to Hanoi on IndiGo. Flight time on these direct routes is approximately 4-5 hours. Travelers from other Indian cities generally connect through Bangkok, Singapore, or Kuala Lumpur, adding a layover of a few hours to the total journey.

Whichever route you fly, the port of entry you declare on your e-visa or approval letter application should match the airport where you actually land, since a mismatch can delay your entry even with an otherwise valid visa.

Common reasons Indian e-visa applications get rejected

Most rejections for Indian applicants come down to three causes: a photo that does not meet the 4x6cm white background, no glasses specification, a passport bio page scan with glare or a cropped ICAO line, or a name and date of birth entered slightly differently than what is printed on the passport. Double-check all three before you submit.

A fourth, less common cause is applying too close to the travel date and then choosing standard processing instead of an expedited tier, which leaves no buffer if the immigration department asks for a resubmission. Building in a few extra working days, or paying for expedited processing when your date is tight, removes most of this risk.

Note: if your Vietnam e-visa application from India is rejected, you can usually correct the error and resubmit, but this restarts the processing clock, so it pays to get the details right the first time.

Can Indians enter Vietnam by land border with an e-visa?

Yes. The e-visa is accepted at Vietnam's approved land border gates, air border gates, and seaports. If you are combining a trip through Cambodia or Laos with an overland entry into Vietnam, confirm your specific border checkpoint is on the current approved list before you travel, since not every minor crossing accepts e-visa holders. See our guide to Vietnam visa requirements for Indian citizens for a closer look at eligibility by entry type.