The Socialist Republic of Vietnam or simply Vietnam is one of the premier travel destinations for travelers going to Southeast Asia. Located on the extreme end of the Indochina Peninsula right after Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, Vietnam sees a huge footfall of tourists (15.5 million visitors in 2018), especially from Indian tourists.

If you are planning to travel to Vietnam, you will need a Visa.
There are 3 types of Vietnam Visa for travellers ;

⦁ Vietnam Travel Visa (Applying Through Vietnam Embassy, Stay up to 90 days)
⦁ Vietnam E-Visa Online (Applying Online, Stay up to 30 days)
⦁ Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival (Applying Online, Stay up to 90 days)

In this post, you’ll find out how to get Vietnam Visa for Indian Passport holders.

⦁ Vietnam Travel Visa For Indian Citizens

(Applying Through Vietnam Embassy in India, Stay up to 90 days)

How to apply for a Vietnam Travel Visa?

Indian passport holders can just directly go their nearest Vietnam Embassy, either at Delhi or in Mumbai to apply for Vietnam Visa.

Simply submit the required documents at the Vietnam Embassy either by going their personally or submitting through post.

Vietnam Embassy Address in India (Latest Updated)

Embassy of Vietnam in  New Delhi	Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai
Address: 20 Kautilya Marg, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi, India PIN Code: 110 021 Embassy Hotline: +91-8527 825 556​ Telephone: +91-11-2687 9868 Fax: +91-11-2687 9856 Email: vnemb.in@gmail.com, vnconsul.indelhi@yahoo.in	Address: Unit 805, 8th Floor, Powai Plaza, Hiranandani Gardens, Central Avenue, Powai, Mumbai, India PIN Code: 400 049 Embassy Hotline: +91-22-2570 2033​ Telephone: +91-22-2570 2033 Fax: +91-22-2570 2034 Email: tlsq.mumbai@mofa.gov.vn

Documents required for Vietnam Travel Visa

⦁ Your Passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of your planned entry to Vietnam
⦁ Completed Vietnam Visa ⦁ application form
⦁ Two photos, Vietnam Visa Photo Size is 4cm x 6cm, Color – white background, glossy finish
⦁ Prepaid self-addressed return envelope to dispatch the submitted documents to your address.
⦁ Confirmed hotel reservations
⦁ Confirmed return flight ticket
⦁ Bank statement of up to previous 3 months with proof of funds (equivalent to minimum US$ 1,000)

Note: You can also apply for a Vietnam Visa in a third country when you are travelling abroad by directly approaching the Vietnam Embassy or Consulate.

The advantage of applying for a Vietnam Travel Visa beforehand at the Embassy is that you have the visa ready before going to Vietnam. Thus you can avoid the long “Stamp” queue at the airport in Vietnam and just go through with immigration clearance.

How much time required to get Vietnam Travel Visa?

You’ll get the visa within 5 to 10 days of submitting your application (along with the proper documents). So accordingly plan your travel from India to Vietnam.

Vietnam Travel Visa validity

The Vietnam Travel / Tourist Visa has a minimum validity of 1 month from the travel date provided by you to the Vietnam Embassy. You can also apply for a 3 month Vietnam Tourist Visa. Another option you have is to apply for either Single-entry or Multiple-entry visa. Single-entry visa to Vietnam offers a one-time entry only. A Multiple-entry visa allows you to enter and exit Vietnam any number of times within the validity period of the visa.

Do keep in mind that a Travel Visa is a conditional authorization given by immigration authorities. It is not a guarantee that you will be allowed to enter Vietnam. If the immigration at Vietnam finds you flouting the rules or considers you a security threat, your visa may be revoked and you will not be allowed to enter the country.

⦁ Vietnam E-Visa Online For Indian Passport Holders

(Applying Online, Stay up to 30 days)

The Vietnam government launched the E-Visa program in February 2017 to make the process of applying for a Vietnam Visa online easy.

The Vietnam E-Visa is a Single-entry, 30 days, non-extendable visa which can be applied completely online. Also, it cannot be converted to other types of visa.

Indians can apply for an E-Visa through Visa agencies such as iVisa or Vietnamvisa. However, do keep in mind that they will charge an extra fee for helping you with the application process.

If you would like to fill the Vietnam E-Visa application form yourself and avoid paying an extra processing fee, you can visit;

Vietnam E-Visa Official Website – evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn

Vietnam E-Visa Application Form Sample;

How To apply Vietnam E-Visa online?

⦁ Fill the online e-visa application form

Provide details like passport number, date of birth, permanent residential address etc. Confirm the details entered.

⦁ Do the payment online

E-Visa would cost you US $25 fees paid directly to the Vietnam government. This is the total cost of E-Visa (no visa stamping fee upon landing in Vietnam). It’ll take 3 days for the application to be processed.

⦁ Print the E-Visa

Check your Vietnam Visa application status through the ⦁ E-Visa search menu. If approved, print the E-Visa and keep it along with your passport and other travel documents safely. Show it at the immigration after arriving in Vietnam.

Vietnam E-Visa Documents Checklist

⦁ Digital copy of front and back page of passport (with minimum 6 months validity after arriving at Vietnam)

⦁ Digital passport size photo

⦁ Hotel or hostel booking in Vietnam to be provided as the address when filling the E-Visa application form

Validity of Vietnam E-Visa

The Vietnam E-Visa has a validity of 30 days from the planned date of entry mentioned in your E-Visa application.

How much time required to obtain Vietnam E-Visa?

Usually, it takes 3 days from the time you’ve have submitted your online E-Visa application. However, the process could also take up to 5 days at the maximum. So plan your travel dates and accordingly book flight tickets.

Important Vietnam E-Visa Information

⦁ Your passport must have a minimum 2 pages blank before entering Vietnam.

⦁ Minors who have their own passport must apply for E-Visa separately. For minors who are below 14 years of age and are included in their parent’s passport, they will have to be included in their parent’s E-Visa application.

⦁ The E-Visa application form lets you choose your point of entry. There are 28 authorized points of entry ;

International airport

Cat Bi Int Airport (Hai Phong)
Cam Ranh Int Airport (Khanh Hoa)
Can Tho International Airport
Da Nang International Airport
Noi Bai Int Airport (Ha Noi)
Phu Bai Int Airport
Phu Quoc International Airport
Tan Son Nhat Int Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)

Landport

Bo Y Landport
Cha Lo Landport
Cau Treo Landport
Huu Nghi Landport
Ha Tien Landport
Lao Bao Landport
Lao Cai Landport
Moc Bai Landport
Moc Bai Landport
Nam Can Landport
Song Tien Landport
Tinh Bien Landport
Xa Mat Landport

Seaport

Da Nang Seaport
Hon Gai Seaport
Hai Phong Seaport
Nha Trang Seaport
Quy Nhon Seaport
Ho Chi Minh City Seaport
Vung Tau Seaport

After arriving at Vietnam through one of these ports, you need not stop at the Visa-on-Arrival counter. You can directly proceed to the queue where immigration authorities are stamping tourists into the country.

Vietnam E-Visa Sample:

Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival For Indian Citizens

The Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival is only for tourists who are travelling from India to Vietnam by air. Visa-on-Arrival is issued only at airports that too at 4 International airports in Vietnam ;

Visa-on-Arrival Airports in Vietnam

⦁ Da Nang – Da Nang International Airport
⦁ Hanoi – Noi Bai International Airport
⦁ Ho Chi Minh City – Tan Son Nhat International Airport
⦁ Nha Trang city – Cam Ranh International Airport

Vietnam E-Visa allows you to travel in Vietnam only for 30 days and that too with Single-entry. You should choose the Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival if you are planning to stay there for 30 days on a Multiple-entry Visa or more than 30 days on a Single-entry/Multiple-entry Visa.

Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival

30 Days Single-entry Visa

90 Days Single-entry Visa

30 Days Multiple-entry Visa

90 Days Multiple-entry Visa

How to apply for Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival?

⦁ Apply Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival online

The first thing you need to know is unlike the Vietnam E-Visa government portal. There are no government-approved online portals where you can apply for a Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival.

Instead, there are many online visa agents who can help you out with the Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival application. You should exercise care when choosing a Visa agent. There are online agents whose domain names end with “govt.vn”. However, these are not government approved agents and some of them have negative reviews too.

You can try out iVisa, MyVietnamVisa or VietnamVisaPro.

⦁ Pay Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival Cost – Service Fee & Stamping Fee

Depending upon the Visa agent you’ve chosen, the fee will vary. There are two fees to be paid, a service fee to your Visa agent and a Visa Stamping Fee upon landing at the airport in Vietnam.

Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival charges;

Vietnam Visa Type	Service Fee (Varies depending on Visa agent)	Visa Stamping Fee (Fixed)
30 Days Single-entry Visa	US$ 5 – 8	US$ 25
90 Days Single-entry Visa	US$ 8-20	US$ 50
30 Days Multiple-entry Visa	US$ 20 – 25	US$ 25
90 Days Multiple-entry Visa	US$ 25 – 32	US$ 50

⦁ Get the Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival Approval Letter

Upon submitting your Visa-on-Arrival application and payment with the online agent, you can expect to get the Approval Letter anywhere between 2 to 5 working days. You will need to print this Approval Letter and keep it along with your Passport and other important documents when going to Vietnam.

Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival Approval Letter sample; 

⦁ Get your visa stamped upon arrival at the Vietnam Airport

When you arrive at one among the Visa-on-Arrival airports in Vietnam at Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city or Nha Trang city, head to the immigration office where Visa-on-Arrival is issued.

Show your Passport, Visa Approval Letter, completed Vietnam Visa Entry & Exit Form, and 2 passport size photos (4cm x 6cm). Pay the Visa Stamping Fee and get visa stamped on your passport. This fee can be paid in both US dollars or Vietnamese Dong. Currency exchange counters can be found only beyond this point. So take US dollar in hand before flying off to Vietnam.

Usually, you should get your Visa Stamped within 30 minutes. However, the process could take up to 2 hours during rush hours when a lot of international flights land at the same time at the airport.

Documents required for Vietnam Travel Visa

⦁ Your Passport.

It should have a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of your planned entry to Vietnam. Also, your passport must have at least 2 blank pages.

⦁ Two passport size photos (4cm x 6cm)

The photos must be recently taken and very clear. The shoulders should not be bare and must be covered.

⦁ Completed Vietnam Visa Entry and Exit form

All foreign passengers who are arriving by air in Vietnam must fill the Vietnam Entry and Exit form. It may be given to you in the flight itself or at the airport in Vietnam. The filled form should be submitted along with your passport and photos to the Immigration officer for getting the Visa Stamp. You can also download and fill the form even before travelling to Vietnam.

Download Vietnam Visa Entry and Exit form

Important Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival Information

⦁ Double Check Visa Application – When applying for your Vietnam Visa-on-arrival online through an agent, you’ll be required to enter your name, passport number, date of birth, and arrival date. Make sure to fill everything exactly as it is on your passport. Any discrepancy can get your Visa-on-Arrival rejected at the airport in Vietnam and you’d have to catch the flight back home.

⦁ Date Format – When writing any dates in your application form or Entry and Exit form, check which date format has to be used. Vietnam follows the Month/Date/Year format. This is a oft-repeated mistake by many.

⦁ Vietnam Visa-on-Arrival Extension – After arriving, you can extend your Vietnam Visa by 30 days by applying at immigration. The process might take up to 7 days. So apply at least a week before your visa expires.