Vietnam Trip Cost from India (2026): A Planner's Honest Breakdown

Vietnam has quietly become the best-value international holiday available to Indian travellers, and the arithmetic explains why. A well-planned seven-day trip costs ₹55,000 to ₹70,000 per person at a comfortable mid-range standard, ₹38,000 to ₹45,000 for careful budget travellers, and around ₹1.1 lakh if you prefer five-star hotels and a private cruise cabin on Ha Long Bay. Those figures are lower than an equivalent Bali holiday, and considerably lower than Europe — yet the experience is no less rich.

We plan these trips professionally, week in and week out. What follows is the same cost sheet we work from, updated for 2026.

Flights: direct connections have changed the equation

Until a few years ago, reaching Vietnam meant a layover in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. That era is over. IndiGo and VietJet Air now operate direct flights from New Delhi and Mumbai to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and Kolkata to Ho Chi Minh City is the shortest routing of all.

A routing worth knowing: fly into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City (or the reverse). Vietnam is a long, narrow country, and an open-jaw ticket lets you travel north to south without doubling back. The fare difference over a simple return is usually modest; the time saved is considerable.

VietJet's advertised fares exclude baggage, seats, and meals, so compare the final checkout price rather than the headline number. Book ten to twelve weeks ahead for October–March travel, which is both Vietnam's pleasant season and its most expensive.

Check live fares: compare direct Delhi–Hanoi and open-jaw fares on Aviasales.

The visa: straightforward, but read the fine print

Indian passport holders require a visa, and the e-visa is the sensible route. It costs USD 25 (about ₹2,100) for single entry or USD 50 for multiple entry, is valid for up to 90 days, and is issued through the official government portal at evisa.gov.vn — no agent required. Standard processing takes three to five working days; apply at least two weeks before departure to leave room for corrections.

Two details catch people out. First, the port of entry you declare on the application is binding — you may only enter Vietnam through the airport or border crossing named on your approved e-visa, so confirm your flight before you apply. Second, the fee is non-refundable, including in the event of rejection, so match every field to your passport exactly.

There is one genuine exception worth knowing: Phu Quoc Island permits a visa-free stay of up to 30 days for travellers arriving on a direct international flight to the island. The catch is that this exemption applies to Phu Quoc alone — a domestic hop onward to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi requires a visa. For a pure beach holiday routed through Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, however, it is a legitimate saving.

Where to stay, and what a night honestly costs

Vietnamese hotels offer remarkable value, particularly in the four-star bracket, where ₹4,000 buys what would cost ₹9,000 in Bali or ₹15,000 in Europe. Rates below are per night for two people sharing.

Our professional advice, formed over many client itineraries: for a first visit of seven days, choose either the north (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh) or the centre-south (Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City) — not both. Attempting the full length of the country in a week produces a holiday spent largely in transit.

Check live rates: compare Hanoi Old Quarter and Da Nang hotels on Booking.com.

Ha Long Bay: the one expense worth protecting

If any single line in the budget deserves generosity, it is this one. Day trips to Ha Long Bay exist, but they reduce one of Asia's great landscapes to a hurried boat ride. An overnight cruise — kayaking at dusk, dinner on deck, waking among the limestone karsts — costs ₹6,000–9,000 per person for a respectable mid-range boat and is, in our experience, the memory clients mention first when they return.

Book the cruise before you travel rather than through a Hanoi street agent; the boats vary enormously in quality, and the cheapest tier is cheap for discernible reasons.

Book the cruise before you fly: compare overnight Ha Long Bay cruises on GetYourGuide — reviews separate the good boats from the cheap ones.

Daily costs on the ground

Vietnam is one of the few countries where eating brilliantly costs less than eating badly. A bowl of pho at a proper local establishment costs ₹150–250; a banh mi, ₹80–120; a meal at a polished restaurant, ₹600–1,000 per person. Budget ₹900–1,200 per person per day for mixed dining and you will want for nothing.

• Grab (ride-hailing): functions exactly as it does in India and is inexpensive — most city rides cost ₹80–200. There is no need to negotiate with taxis, and we advise against it.
• Internal flights: Hanoi to Da Nang or Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City costs ₹2,500–4,500 one way on VietJet or Vietnam Airlines. Book these alongside your international ticket.
• The overnight train (Hanoi–Da Nang, soft sleeper) costs roughly ₹2,800 and doubles as a night's accommodation — a defensible choice for travellers with more time than budget.
• SIM/eSIM: ₹400–600 for ample data. Viettel has the widest coverage.
• Currency note: one rupee equals roughly 300 Vietnamese dong, so a 300,000 VND dinner bill is about ₹1,000. The zeroes intimidate; the prices do not.

Activities worth the money

Pay for: the overnight Ha Long cruise; a Ninh Binh day trip from Hanoi (₹1,800–2,500, and frequently the day guests rank above Ha Long itself); the Cu Chi Tunnels half-day from Ho Chi Minh City (₹1,200–1,800); a lantern-making or cooking class in Hoi An; the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills if crowds do not deter you (₹2,800 including the cable car).

Reconsider: generic city tours in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Both cities reward unhurried walking, and their principal museums cost pennies to enter independently.

Book ahead: Ninh Binh day trip from Hanoi on GetYourGuide.

Travel insurance

A seven-day policy costs ₹700–1,100. Vietnamese roads are chaotic in a manner that must be seen to be believed, and private hospital care for foreigners is billed upfront. We consider insurance a fixed cost of the trip, not an optional extra, and we hold that view because we have handled the alternative on a client's behalf.

The complete budget: seven days, per person

Assuming the northern route (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh) with a direct Delhi flight:

When to go

The north and the south keep different calendars. October to April suits Hanoi and Ha Long Bay — cool, dry, occasionally misty in a way that flatters the scenery. The south is warm year-round, with rain concentrated between May and October in brief afternoon bursts rather than washed-out days. For Indian travellers, November to February is the considered choice: superb weather nationwide, and a welcome escape from north India's winter smog rather than its heat.

Avoid the week of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year, mid-February in 2026 and late January in 2027) unless you understand what you are booking: domestic transport sells out, many establishments close, and prices rise sharply.