Vietnam is a cheap country to travel to for plenty of Western countries. But is it just as cheap for people from other countries, especially Indian citizens? In this blog, we’ll explore how much you actually need to spend to travel to Vietnam from India for one week.
Cost of traveling to Vietnam from India
Flights
All major cities in India including Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, have either direct or one-stop flights to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang in Vietnam. VietJet is the only major Vietnamese airline that has direct flights from India to Vietnam. The usual cost of flights from India to Vietnam is about 20,000 INR but if you book in advance, you can usually get a ticket for a price under 13,000 INR. Sometimes the ticket prices can go as cheap as 7,000 to 9,000 INR if you book a few months in advance.
Accommodation
Vietnam is famous for its backpacking culture and you can be sure to find good quality, clean hostels for as cheap as 500 INR. You’ll get to meet a lot of new people in a backpackers hostel and might even make friends. However, if you want a more premium experience, you can book a luxury hotel for under 10,000 INR. For mid-range hotels, you can expect to shell out at least 2,000 INR.
Food
Vietnam is famous for having some of the best and freshest food in the world. Once you come here, you definitely need to try all the amazing food here. Breakfast here usually consists of staples like pho and banh mi. An average meal will cost around 900 to 1000 INR per day. It gets even cheaper if you eat at smaller street stalls instead of full-service restaurants. A warm bowl of hearty pho is very cheap from a street stall and usually costs only around 50 to 60 INR.
Transportation
Another important thing to keep in mind when budgeting your trip from India to Vietnam is to think about inter-city transportation. Vietnam is a big country and traveling from one city to another can take up a huge chunk of your budget if you don’t calculate carefully. If you are spending just a week or less, you can fly from one city to another city which will cost a bit more but is much faster. A flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City will cost around 7000 INR. If you book in advance you can get a flight from two major cities in Vietnam for as cheap as 2000 INR. For traveling around a city, xe om or moto-taxi will not cost more than 50 to 100 INR.
Miscellaneous
Under miscellaneous expenses, you’ll need to think about getting a local SIM card, shopping, and other various small expenses. A SIM card from a major mobile provider like Viettel will cost around 700 INR. For shopping, paying for tours, and emergency expenses like hospitals, you should set aside at least a ¼th of your budget.
The estimated cost of a trip to Vietnam from India
| Airfare | 20,000 INR |
| Accommodation | 2,000 INR per day |
| Food | 900 INR per day |
| Transportation | 7000 INR |
Approximate exchange rate
1000 Vietnamese Dong VND* = 3 Indian Rupees INR
1 million VND = 3000 INR
*Please note that Vietnamese denomination are issued in banknotes starting from 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, and 500,000.
