Vietnam E-Visa for Indians: The Step-by-Step That Avoids the Two Classic Mistakes

Vietnam runs one of the cleanest e-visa systems in Asia: one official portal, a flat USD 25 for single entry (USD 50 multiple), 3–5 working days, and validity up to 90 days. Indians apply the same way as everyone else. Then two specific details catch people — the entry-port lock and the photo rules — and a clean application turns into a re-application. This guide exists so yours does not.

Before you start: the three facts that shape everything

• The ONLY official application site is the government portal, evisa.gov.vn. Lookalike sites charge two to four times more for the same visa plus a service you did not need. The official fee is USD 25 single, USD 50 multiple — full stop.
• Your entry checkpoint is FIXED at approval. Apply choosing Hanoi and land in Ho Chi Minh City instead, and you will be denied boarding or entry. This is the single most expensive Vietnam mistake we see.
• The fee is non-refundable, approved or not. A sloppy application is a donated USD 25.

What to prepare (10 minutes, before opening the portal)

• Passport bio-page scan: flat, colour, all four corners visible, six-plus months of validity from your travel date.
• Portrait photo, digital: recent, white background, face straight at the camera, no glasses. The system genuinely rejects glasses-on photos and tilted faces — this is the number-two rework cause after the port lock.
• Travel details: entry date, exit date, entry checkpoint, exit checkpoint, and your first-night accommodation address.
• An international-enabled card for the fee. Switch on international transactions in your banking app BEFORE checkout; a failed payment at the final step means restarting.

The application, step by step

1. Open the official portal

Start the e-visa application for foreigners as an individual. The form is in English and takes 15–20 unhurried minutes.

2. Upload the two images first

The portrait and passport-page uploads have live validation. If either bounces, fix it now — retake rather than fighting the cropper with a bad source image.

3. Fill personal details exactly as the passport shows

Surname and given names in their designated fields, passport number without spaces, date of birth in the format asked. Exactly means exactly: follow the portal's guidance for single-name passports rather than inventing a split.

4. Trip details — the port-lock moment

Choose entry date, duration, and single or multiple entry. Then the checkpoints: Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, and others. CHECK YOUR FLIGHT TICKET, not your memory. Booked a fare that lands in Hanoi but returns from Ho Chi Minh City? Enter Noi Bai as entry and Tan Son Nhat as exit — the form asks for both, and mismatching either against your actual routing causes real trouble at the airport.

5. Pay USD 25 and save everything

After payment you receive a registration code. Save it together with your date of birth and email — that trio retrieves your result.

The wait, and what an approval looks like

Official processing is three working days; holidays and volume can stretch it to five. Tet (Vietnamese New Year, late January–February) slows everything — apply earlier around it. When granted, you download a PDF e-visa. Print two copies. Check the passport number, name spelling, dates and checkpoint the moment you open it; errors must be fixed before flying, not argued at immigration.

At immigration

Carry the printed e-visa with your passport. Officers may ask for your onward ticket and first hotel — the same details you entered. The validity window is what you selected, up to 90 days; overstaying attracts fines and exit complications, so build your dates with a buffer rather than to the edge.

Should you just have an agent do it?

Honest answer: this is one of the visas a careful traveller can absolutely self-file — the portal is legitimate and the fee is small. Where we add value is the checking: matching the port lock against your actual ticket, validating the photo before the fee is spent, and timing the application to your dates. Our Vietnam packages include exactly that filing assistance, with the government fee kept separate and visible. Either way, use the official portal — that USD 25 should go to Vietnam, not to a lookalike website's margin.