Indian passport holders need to get a tourist visa to enter Vietnam, weather they are entering for a day or a month. There is a common misconception that this can be done only through a travel agent. There are popular websites directing visitors to another travel agent’s website (case in point this MMT article: https://www.makemytrip.com/blog/vietnam-visa-for-indians). There are also websites that can get an approval letter from the Vietnam immigration department and send it to you. Based on this approval letter, you can get a visa on arrival when you land in Vietnam.

I am writing this post to clarify that Indian nationals can apply for Vietnam single entry visa online and without going through any travel agent. Save yourself the trouble and money and go through the easy process of applying for Vietnam e-visa.

While this post is mainly intended for Indian tourists, the process is same for citizens of all countries that are eligible for Vietnam eVISA. The list is available on List of countries for which Vietnam eVisa is allowed. Frequently asked questions are answered on https://immigration.gov.vn/faq

VISA fee for Vietnam tourist Visa:

Visa fee is 25 USD per person. There are no service charges of you apply directly.

There are 2 ways to obtain a Vietnamese visa yourself:

Apply Online – This is hassle free, quick and involves no processing /service fee. The visa is approved in 2-5 working days.

Apply at Vietnamese embassy: If your stay in Vietnam is for more than 30 days, or if you need a multiple entry visa, you need to apply at the Vietnamese Embassy. Vietnam has an embassy in Mumbai and Delhi.

Requirements for applying for a Vietnam tourist e-visa:

1. Passport valid for your entire duration of stay.
2. Children less than 14 yrs of age must travel with either a parent or guardian
3. A photo to be uploaded (looking straight into the camera and no glasses)

Vietnam Visa Application form and application fee for Indians

Step 1:

Go to https://immigration.gov.vn/en_US/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu or https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en_US/web/guest/khai-thi-thuc-dien-tu/cap-thi-thuc-dien-tu

Read the note and select the confirmation checkbox at the bottom of the page. Click on Next.

Step 2:
Upload your photo, first page of your passport and fill in all the details.
Guidelines for filling the form:

• There are no specific guidelines for the visa photo; except that you should be looking straight at the camera and not wearing any glasses. However, it is good to use any standard visa guideline to avoid complications.
• Your fullname should be entered exactly the way it is in your passport. Eg. I do not use my surname; so my Given Name in the passport is PRIYANKA and the surname field is blank. This is how the bottom of my passport looks like:

So in the name field, I need to write PRIYANKA. Follow the guideline and enter the name field as mentioned at the bottom of the passport.

In the sample passport shown, the name is “Specimen Martin” as mentioned in the passport.

• Enter the name of the hotel you are first checking-in the field “Intended temporary residential address in Viet Nam”.
• There is a field Under 14 yrs old accompanying child(ren) included in your passport (if any). Note that Indians do not need to enter any details here. This is only for children who do not have their own passport; which is allowed by some countries. India does not give that option. So even kids need their own passport to travel outside India (except for Nepal and Bhutan under some conditions).
• Granted Evisa valid from and to date get automatically populated based on your Intended Date of entry and the Intended length of stay fields. You can enter and exit on any of the dates in between the dates for which your visa is approved.
• Entry checkpoint and exit checkpoint drop-down have all the airports, seaports and land immigration checkpoints listed. Please select the one which is valid for you.

See my filled in application form:

NOTE: You will have to fill in different application form for every person travelling to Vietnam. You can use the same email ID multiple times though.

Step 3: Review the application form

Step 4: Submit the application form and note the registration code

Note the registration code and verify that all details are correct. You will also see the amount to be paid for your visa. A mail is also sent by the portal at this stage with the same details.

Step 5: Make Payment

You can click on Pay e-visa fee button to make the payment. If by any chance you could not make the payment at that time; you can always pay later. Click on evisa search menu link in the email to check the status of your application form. Click on edit to modify the details (if required) and make payment.

Vietnam eVisa Status and Approval

Click on https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/tra-cuu-thi-thuc  to check your visa status. You will need to enter your registration number, email and date of birth. It usually takes 2-5 days to get the visa. You get an email once the visa is approved. An approved visa looks this this:

Documents to carry when you travel to Vietnam

Carry all the documents to support the details you have mentioned in the visa application form. These include:

• Approved visa copy
• Passport
• Return tickets
• Hotel confirmation

Photo is not required, but it is good to carry a few passport size photos when travelling. Check my post on things to take care when travelling abroad for a more detailed guide on what to carry.