Vietnam Visa for Indians: Complete Guide (2026)

Indian passport holders need a visa for Vietnam — there's no visa-free entry, and no visa-on-arrival without prior approval. The good news is the e-visa is straightforward: apply online, no embassy visit, and it covers both tourism and business travel for stays up to 90 days on a single or multiple-entry basis.

The e-visa application asks for a scanned passport photo page (valid for at least 6 months from your travel date), a passport-style photo, and your planned entry and exit points. Vietnam's immigration portal lists specific land, air, and sea checkpoints — entering or exiting through one not listed on your application can cause problems at the border, so it's worth double-checking against your actual itinerary.

Processing officially takes 3 working days, but during peak season (October to April, when Vietnam's weather is best) it commonly stretches to 5-7 days. Applying at least 2 weeks before departure avoids the stress of a last-minute delay, and gives room to fix a rejected application — usually caused by a blurry passport scan or a mismatched name spelling — without missing your flight.

A visa-on-arrival letter (arranged through a travel agent before departure) used to be the common route for Indians, but the e-visa has largely replaced it since it removed the extra airport counter step. If you're on a tight layover or arriving late at night, the e-visa's ability to walk straight through immigration is worth the small application fee difference.

One detail that trips up first-timers: the e-visa is tied to the exact dates you specify, not a flexible window. If your trip shifts by even a few days, the visa doesn't automatically cover the new dates — it needs to be re-applied for. Lock in your flights before applying, not the other way around.