It is 7am in a Thảo Điền villa. A family of fourteen is drifting down for breakfast — grandparents, cousins from Mumbai, one uncle who flew in late from Hyderabad. Masala chai is boiling on the stove. The windows are open and the street smells like frangipani, the diesel of the first motorbike, and green tea drifting up from the cafe next door. Nani, in her cotton sari, stops at the window and says quietly — “Yeh jagah Kerala jaisi lagti hai, bas thoda alag.” Vietnam for Indian tourists feels familiar, just a little different — and that small recognition is pulling more Indian families here than any year on record.
Vietnam for Indian tourists is one of Asia’s fastest-growing travel destinations, with visits from India jumping 48.9% year-on-year in 2025 to 746,000 arrivals. Indian families, honeymooners, and group travellers are discovering a country that feels both familiar (warm people, strong tea culture, street food everywhere) and refreshingly different (limestone bays, imperial cities, hands-on craft experiences). NOTE – The Scent Lab is a perfume workshop in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi, Vietnam, where travellers create a custom fragrance in 90 minutes. Rated 4.9 from 2,400+ Google reviews and 500+ TripAdvisor reviews, it has become a go-to activity for Indian family groups of 6–20 who want something memorable beyond the usual sightseeing.
This 2026 guide is written for Indian visitors planning their first (or fifth) trip to Vietnam. We cover e-visa basics, best time to visit, realistic rupee budgets, where to find Jain and vegetarian food, must-do experiences ranked by how much Indian groups actually love them, family itineraries for 10–15 people, cultural tips — and the one ninety-minute afternoon in Saigon where your family stops taking photos and starts making something nobody else in the world will ever own.
Why Vietnam for Indian tourists is booming in 2026
Vietnam welcomed a record 21.2 million international visitors in 2025, and the India market is the single fastest-growing source. Direct flights now connect Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in roughly 4–5 hours. Return fares during shoulder season drop to ₹18,000–₹28,000, making Vietnam cheaper to reach than Phuket for most Indian cities.
What Vietnam offers that Thailand and Bali no longer do: smaller crowds at headline sights, prices that still feel fair, and a culture that genuinely rewards slow travel. Indian visitors who tried Vietnam post-2023 almost always return with extended families on the second trip.
Top reasons Indians choose Vietnam for 2026
- Short flight, long trip — 4–5 hours each way leaves more time on the ground
- Strong rupee value — ₹1 ≈ 315 VND, so ₹1,000 buys a good meal for two
- Family-friendly scale — easy to travel as a group of 10–20, lots of villas and group activities
- Clear vegetarian culture — Buddhist “chay” restaurants in every city, plus Indian restaurants in Hanoi, Saigon, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc
- Different kind of beach — Phu Quoc and Con Dao feel untouched compared to Phuket 2026
- Creative experiences — cooking classes, pottery, lantern painting, perfume workshops — things the family can do together
Vietnam e-visa and entry for Indian passport holders
Indian passport holders need an e-visa to enter Vietnam. The application is done online and approval typically arrives within a few working days, though policies change. We will not quote specific fees or validity here because the rules are updated regularly — always check current e-visa policy at the Vietnam Immigration Department’s official portal before booking flights.
What has stayed consistent: you apply online with a passport scan and recent photo, pay by card, and receive a PDF to print and carry. Keep a printed copy — some airport counters still ask to see it.
Airports and arrival tips
Vietnam has three main international airports: Noi Bai (Hanoi, HAN), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City, SGN), and Da Nang (DAD). Most Indian tourists enter via Hanoi or Saigon. Grab (the Vietnamese equivalent of Uber/Ola) works at both airports and is the safest way to reach your hotel. A ride from SGN to District 1 costs around 220,000–280,000 VND (₹700–₹900).
Buy a local SIM card at the arrivals hall — Viettel, Vinaphone, and Mobifone all sell tourist packs around 200,000 VND (₹650) for unlimited 4G for a week. Airtel and Jio international roaming works in Vietnam but you will pay three to four times more than a local SIM.
Best time to visit Vietnam for Indian travellers
Vietnam has three regions, each with its own weather. A quick cheat sheet built for Indian holiday calendars:
| Region | Best months | Avoid | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| North (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sa Pa) | October–April | June–August (hot + typhoon) | Cool winter Dec–Feb, pack a light jacket |
| Central (Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue) | February–May | September–November (rain, floods) | Lantern festival in Hoi An each full moon |
| South (Saigon, Phu Quoc, Mekong) | December–March | June–September (monsoon) | Year-round warm, dry in winter |
For most Indian families planning around Diwali, Christmas, summer holidays, or Navratri, the sweet spot is late October to early March, when all three regions are dry and pleasant. This overlaps with Vietnam’s domestic peak, so book hotels and flights 6–10 weeks ahead.
“Such a fun and educational experience, especially on a rainy day” — travelbugz23, TripAdvisor. Even if you travel in monsoon season, indoor activities like perfume making, cooking classes, and lantern painting keep the trip alive.
Vietnam trip cost for Indians — realistic rupee budget
Budget depends heavily on hotel class and internal flights. Here is a working estimate for an 8-day, 7-night trip covering 2–3 cities, per person, from a metro Indian city:
| Style | Total per person | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker / student | ₹45,000–₹60,000 | Hostels, street food, sleeper trains, group tours |
| Mid-range family | ₹65,000–₹95,000 | 3–4★ hotels, Grab, domestic flights, 1–2 paid experiences |
| Premium / honeymoon | ₹1,00,000–₹1,60,000 | 4–5★ resorts, Ha Long cruise, private transfers, curated activities |
| Family group (10–15 pax) | ₹55,000–₹85,000 per person | Shared villa in Hoi An/Phu Quoc, group cooking + workshop, private van |
A few rupee reference points on the ground: a bowl of pho chay (vegetarian pho) costs ₹150–₹220, a proper Indian thali at Ganesh Saigon runs ₹450–₹700, a Grab ride across District 1 is ₹120–₹180, a Ha Long Bay day cruise is ₹2,500–₹4,000, and a 90-minute perfume workshop at NOTE starts at 550,000 VND (about ₹1,750) for a 10ml custom bottle.
Book your 90-minute perfume workshop at NOTE — book and pay online, no deposit, instant confirmation. Ideal mid-trip activity for groups.
Vegetarian and Jain food in Vietnam
This is the question every Indian family asks first, and the honest answer is: Vietnam is far more vegetarian-friendly than Thailand or the Philippines. Buddhism is deeply rooted here, which means every neighbourhood has “com chay” or “pho chay” restaurants — Buddhist vegetarian cooking, often strictly no onion/garlic (Jain-compatible with a request).
Where to eat as a vegetarian Indian in Vietnam
- Indian restaurants in Saigon: Ganesh, Baba’s Kitchen, Saigon Indian, Namaste — all run by Indian owners, proper thalis and dosas
- Indian restaurants in Hanoi: Namaste Hanoi, Tandoor, Khazaana
- Indian restaurants in Da Nang / Hoi An: Ganesh Ganesh, Omar’s
- Vietnamese Buddhist “chay”: ask for “com chay” or “pho chay” — available in every city, very cheap
- Phu Quoc and Nha Trang resorts — most 4★+ hotels have Indian menus on request, email before booking
For strict Jain travellers: contact restaurants in advance and use the phrase “khong hanh toi” (no onion no garlic). Most Buddhist chay places already cook this way.
We have a full guide to vegetarian and Jain-friendly restaurants in Saigon for Indian tourists with 15 addresses and maps.
Must-do experiences for Indian tourists in Vietnam — ranked
After talking to hundreds of Indian visitors across our studios, these are the experiences that consistently make Indian travellers say “this was the best part of the trip”:
- Ha Long Bay overnight cruise — 2D/1N on a junk boat through limestone karsts. The universally loved Vietnam experience.
- Hoi An cooking class — morning market tour then hands-on Vietnamese cooking. Vegetarian versions available everywhere.
- NOTE – The Scent Lab perfume workshop — 90 minutes, create your own custom fragrance from 30+ raw materials including Vietnamese botanicals. Perfect group activity for 6–20 people.
- Cu Chi Tunnels day trip — World War history, crawling through tunnels, short trip from Saigon
- Lantern making in Hoi An — 1-hour workshop, go-home souvenir
- Phu Quoc beach day — cleanest beaches in Southeast Asia, non-crowded even in peak season
- Saigon food walking tour — vegetarian versions book-able in advance
- Mekong Delta boat tour — floating markets, coconut candy, local life
“Our instructor Suzee was super knowledgeable and very energetic” — lok yi l, TripAdvisor. Group activities where an instructor walks you through something hands-on tend to be the highlight for Indian family groups where ages range from 10 to 70.
Family group itineraries for 10–15 Indian travellers
Indian families rarely travel as a couple — it is usually grandparents, parents, siblings, spouses, kids, and often close family friends. Group sizes of 10–20 are common. Vietnam handles this really well. Here is a working 7-day framework for a group of 12:
Day-by-day: Saigon + Hoi An + Ha Long for a group of 12
- Day 1 (Saigon arrival): airport pickup in a 16-seater, check in to a serviced apartment, dinner at Ganesh or Namaste District 1
- Day 2 (Saigon culture): morning War Remnants Museum + Reunification Palace + Notre Dame Cathedral; afternoon private group perfume workshop at NOTE (Private Group 6–20 SKU fits perfectly, email for booking); evening Saigon River cruise
- Day 3 (Cu Chi + Ben Thanh): morning day trip to Cu Chi Tunnels, afternoon shopping at Ben Thanh Market, fly evening to Da Nang
- Day 4 (Hoi An): lantern-lit old town walk, private Vietnamese vegetarian cooking class for the whole group, lantern workshop
- Day 5 (Hoi An → Hanoi): morning ao dai photoshoot, afternoon flight to Hanoi
- Day 6 (Ha Long Bay): overnight cruise, book a private boat for groups over 10 — similar cost per head to joining a shared boat
- Day 7 (return): morning kayaking + cave, return to Hanoi, evening flight out
The Private Group Workshop 6–20 SKU at NOTE is specifically designed for this kind of extended-family booking — one space, one instructor team, 12 people creating their own fragrances side by side. Booking is by email because the room needs to be sized to your group. Our Saigon studios at 42 Nguyễn Huệ (2nd floor, Cafe Apartment) and 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu in Thảo Điền both host private group bookings.
We’re on the 2nd floor of Cafe Apartment. Here’s what we see on the afternoon an Indian family of twelve takes over our Saigon studio: Dadi in her sari at one end, her teenage granddaughter at the other, fourteen little brown bottles lined up in front of each of them like a tiny science set. The dadi picks up sandalwood first — of course she does, it smells like the puja room back home. Her granddaughter picks up bergamot and pomelo blossom, something brighter, something that belongs to the holiday, not the house. For ninety minutes the air in our studio is saffron and lemongrass and jasmine and green tea, all at once, and everybody is quietly concentrating. Nobody’s on their phone. That’s the part nobody writes in the brochures.
A grandmother from Pune came through our 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu studio last December with twenty-two people — three generations, one anniversary, one newly pregnant daughter-in-law who didn’t want to drink the welcome tea. At the end of the session, the dadi held up her little amber bottle and said, in Marathi, that it smelled like the courtyard of her grandfather’s house in Satara. She hadn’t been back in forty years. Her son filmed her saying this on his phone. We get sent these videos sometimes, months later. We keep them in a folder we don’t talk about much. That folder is the reason we still open the studio doors every morning.
“I participated with my mother — a very meaningful time with people who participated together” — Klook User Family, Klook. Families consistently tell us that hands-on creative activities become the moment the group actually bonds — not the sightseeing, not the restaurant dinners, not even the Ha Long cruise. The ninety minutes in our studio.
Cultural tips for Indian travellers
Vietnam feels familiar to most Indian visitors — the rhythm, the food, even the chaos of traffic. A few practical pointers that save time:
- Tipping: Not mandatory like in the US, but 20,000–50,000 VND (₹65–₹160) for great service at restaurants or tours is appreciated
- Bargaining: Totally OK at Ben Thanh Market and Dong Xuan Market — start at 50% of asking price, smile. Not OK at restaurants, cafes, or branded stores
- Dress code: Vietnam is conservative at temples and pagodas — cover shoulders and knees. Saigon and Hanoi streets are relaxed
- Currency: Carry some cash for street food and small shops; cards work at most hotels and mid-range restaurants. ATMs are everywhere
- Sim cards and data: Local SIM at the airport is cheaper than Airtel/Jio roaming by a factor of 4
- Avoid in content: Vietnam does not eat beef the way Thailand does, but pork and seafood are everywhere — check menus
- Language: English is spoken in tourist areas. “Xin chao” (hello), “cam on” (thank you), “khong hanh toi” (no onion no garlic) will take you far
Where a perfume workshop fits in your Vietnam itinerary
Our honest take: for Indian groups, a NOTE perfume workshop works best as a mid-trip bonding activity — not first day (jet-lagged), not last day (packing stress). Day 2 or Day 3 in Saigon is the sweet spot, when everyone has recovered from the flight but the holiday still feels long.
Why it resonates with Indian visitors: it is hands-on, creative, works for ages 10 and up, and produces a real souvenir you wear — not another fridge magnet. The Private Group 6–20 setup means the whole extended family creates their own signature scents side by side. For a group of 12, you need about 2 hours total including the welcome, and the cost per head is lower than a typical Hoi An cooking class.
“Finally understood how notes works. Came with our best friends for our 20th wedding anniversary” — Aleck Hann, TripAdvisor. Anniversary trips and milestone birthdays are the most common private group booking reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vietnam safe for Indian tourists, including women and families?
Yes. Vietnam has one of the lower crime rates in Southeast Asia, and Indian women travelling solo or in groups consistently report feeling safe. Standard precautions apply — watch bags in crowded markets, use Grab at night instead of flagging street taxis.
How many days should Indian tourists spend in Vietnam?
Seven to ten days is the sweet spot for a first trip covering two or three cities. A classic route is Hanoi + Ha Long + Hoi An + Saigon in 8 days. Add Phu Quoc or Sapa if you have 10–12 days.
Can Indian vegetarians eat comfortably in Vietnam?
Absolutely. Vietnam has deep Buddhist vegetarian cuisine (“chay”), plus a dozen good Indian restaurants in Hanoi and Saigon. Jain travellers can ask for “khong hanh toi” (no onion no garlic).
How much does a Vietnam trip cost for Indians from Mumbai or Delhi?
Budget travellers can do Vietnam on ₹45,000–₹60,000 per person for 8 days. A mid-range family trip runs ₹65,000–₹95,000 per person. Premium honeymoons or family villa trips land at ₹1–₹1.6 lakh per head.
Is there a good family activity in Saigon for a group of 12–15?
Yes — the Private Group Perfume Workshop at NOTE – The Scent Lab fits 6–20 people, runs 90 minutes, and everyone leaves with their own custom fragrance. Email for group booking as it is sized to your party.
Do I need to book a Vietnam e-visa for Indian passport holders?
Yes, Indian passport holders currently apply for a Vietnam e-visa online before travel. Policies change, so always check the current e-visa requirement at the official Vietnam Immigration portal before booking flights.
What is the best month for Indian tourists to visit Vietnam?
Late October to early March is the sweet spot — all three regions are dry and pleasant. Avoid June to September for North and Central Vietnam due to monsoon and typhoons.
Come bottle your Vietnam memory with us
There is a bench on the second floor of 42 Nguyễn Huệ where an Indian family of twelve sat last April — Nana, Nani, their son and his wife, the two newlyweds, two aunties, two uncles, and three cousins aged eight to fifteen. When they walked in they were still one group, still a little noisy, still negotiating about where to eat dinner that night. When they walked out ninety minutes later they were twelve individual people, each holding an amber bottle, each with a slightly different secret. That is what we do here. We don’t sell perfume for Indian tourists in Vietnam. We hold space for the hour your family stops being a group photo and starts being a memory with a shape and a smell.
Saigon smells like grilled lemongrass at six in the morning, diesel at noon, sugarcane juice at three, rain-on-hot-asphalt at four — and for travellers from Bombay or Bangalore, it smells faintly like home, and faintly like something you can’t name yet. Hanoi smells like lotus tea and pho broth and the West Lake in autumn. Somewhere between those two cities, if you sit down with thirty raw materials in front of you, your hands will know what to pick up before your head does.
If you want your extended family to make something with their hands — something they’ll open in Mumbai six months from now and remember Nani in her cotton sari, the villa with the frangipani window, the day nobody was on their phone — book a session online, no deposit, instant confirmation. Two studios in Saigon — Thảo Điền at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu and the Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyễn Huệ, 2nd floor. One in Hanoi at Lotte Mall West Lake, 4th floor Store 410. For family groups of 6–20, email us for the Private Group Workshop; we size the bench to your party.
Over 2,400 Google reviews and 500+ travellers on TripAdvisor have left their formula behind on our shelves — including a lot of dadis who said their bottle smelled like a house they hadn’t seen in decades. Yours is still on the bench, waiting. Browse more reviews from Indian families, or explore the full fragrance collection at The Scent Note.
