12 Days in Vietnam Cost Us 1.7L for 2 People from India. Say What!

Last Updated: September 2026

If you’ve landed in here looking for Vietnam trip cost from India for 2 people, you’re going to leave with the complete breakdown of cost from North to South Vietnam covering 4 destinations and a direction on your trip planning. We did this trip in April of 2024. Keep in mind that prices vary based on the time of the year. More on this later.

It has now been five months since I’ve returned from Vietnam. But it feels like yesterday. Vietnam has that effect on you. Or maybe it’s because it was my longest vacation.

Vietnam had been on my radar since 2019. That’s precisely a year after I realized what an affordable gem Southeast Asia is. So I planned hard in 2019. Read up on the history. Looked up flights and hotels. Made a cost sheet. Even had the dates finalized. But Covid put the planet on emergency brake. Vietnam got shelved.

Four years later, the costs had almost doubled (not surprising) but Ha Long Bay held the same place in my heart. So Vietnam was back on. 

Here is a good place to say that I’m the planning and  itinerary person in the relationship. And Tathagata shoulders execution. Since we do everything ourselves, a lot of time and effort goes into research. On the plus side, we get to create a plan that is exactly what we want, down to the last paisa.

Would it surprise you if I told you – our 12-day Vietnam trip cost us 1.7L INR from India (Kolkata) for 2? If it does, then you’re my ICP for this blog.

Point to note: This Vietnam trip cost from India, specifically Kolkata, are actual numbers from 2024. The whole point of this blog is to help you understand how we planned and budgeted for our trip. So essentially, it should help you DIY your Vietnam trip planning and budget for 2 people instead of having to rely on travel agencies.

TL;DR: 12-Day Vietnam Trip Cost for 2 People from India

Expense	Cost for 2 (in INR)
Flights	75,000
Hotels	21,000
Tours & Activities	24,500
Visa	6,000
Food	25,000
Transportation	20,000
Total Cost	1,71,500

My Method for Selecting Destinations for Our Vietnam Trip

Let’s start with Ha Long Bay – the ember to my ‘Nam flame. Ha Long Bay can be accessed from the capital city of Hanoi. Therefore, Hanoi was a natural choice. Why not make it our jump-off point? Turns out, Indigo flies non-stop, budget planes from Kolkata to Hanoi. So that hammered in the nail – for our Vietnam trip from India we were to enter the country from the North. Wow, I did not intend for it to sound like a combat thing.

Moving on, where do we go next? Vietnam is a long country. It looks like a seahorse on the map, marking the coastline with the length of its body. So if we were to start at the North, it only made sense to follow the natural flow southwards.

But remember we were on a budget? This meant that our destination choices for our Vietnam trip from India were to be directed by the cost of flight out of the country. I did a quick scan on Google Flights, Skyscanner, MMT and Indigo and had my answer. Ho Chi Minh City or more popularly, Saigon baby! 

Now I had our entry and exit points fixed. The next step was figuring out the stay duration in both cities. I looked at things to do in each city and there was a tonne. At least 3 nights worth. So that gave us a solid 6 nights without counting travel days. That also meant we had room to include a third destination. 

We talked to a few people, watched some videos and realized that the whole country is teeming with can’t-miss destinations. So we needed some filters to narrow it down and fit the Vietnam trip cost within a reasonable budget. Let’s do a central location with some activity options, a nice beach nearby and at a reasonable distance from the airport with flights connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. That left us with Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue.

Let me tell you this – it’s a huge mistake to leave central Vietnam without sampling the fairytale town of Hoi An. We figured that we could also slot in Da Nang if we added one more night to the trip. And it fit nice and snug.

So now we had our stops finalized. Start with Hanoi, stop at Hoi An, next stop at Da Nang and peace out with Saigon.

Kolkata → Hanoi → Hoi An → Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City → Kolkata

A mix of exploring history, culture, city walks and some beachside unwinding. We had to skip some places like Sapa, Hue, Da Lat, and Mui Ne. Tough choices. But it was a trade-off we had to make.

Before we move on to the price breakdown, it’s important to give some thought on the time of the year you want to plan your Vietnam trip from India.

• High/peak season: December to March (Dry, pleasant weather; carry a light jacket or better yet, buy from there)
• Shoulder season: April to May (Hot months; the heat increases as you travel from North to South)
• Off-season: June – November (This is the cyclone/typhoon season; expect floods)

We went in April. Because it’s shoulder season, the prices were cheaper. The trade-off was the heat. While it was bearable in Hanoi, it started to become uncomfortable as we moved towards central Vietnam and even more so in the south.

Breaking Down the Cost for 2 for Our Vietnam Trip from India

1. Vietnam Trip Cost from India: Flights

• Kolkata to Hanoi
• Hanoi to Da Nang
• Da Nang to Ho Chi minh
• Ho Chi Minh to Kolkata

Now prices:

Kolkata to Hanoi – INR 25,060 for 2 people (booked through Indigo website)

Hanoi to Da Nang – INR 14,809 for 2 people (booked through MakeMyTrip) – VietJet Air

Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City – INR 12,005 for 2 people (booked through MakeMyTrip) – VietJet Air

Ho Chi Minh to Kolkata – INR 23,108 for 2 people (booked through Indigo website)

Total rounded-off flight cost – INR 75,000

Vietnam Round-trip Flight Cost for 2 (4 Destinations) from India

Flights	Booked from	Inclusions	Cost for 2 (in INR)
Kolkata to Hanoi	Indigo website	7 kg cabin luggage,20 kg check-in luggage	25,060
Hanoi to Da Nang	MakeMyTrip	7 kg cabin luggage,20 kg check-in luggage	14,809
Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh	MakeMyTrip	7 kg cabin luggage,30 kg check-in luggage	12,005
Ho Chi Minh to Kolkata	Indigo website	7 kg cabin luggage,30 kg check-in luggage	23,108
Total Flight Cost			~75,000

2. Vietnam Trip Cost from India: Hotels

• Hanoi – 4 nights
• Hoi An – 3 nights
• Da Nang – 1 night
• Ho Chi Minh City – 3 nights

The best way to cut back on hotel costs on your Vietnam trip for 2 people is by staying at hostels. A lot of hostels in Vietnam have both dormitories and private rooms. While dormitories would reduce costs to fractional amounts, I’m not that adventurous yet. The good news is, private rooms in hostels also cost way less than hotel rooms.

a. Hanoi – Central Backpackers Hostel – INR 9,330 for 4 nights (Including breakfast)

Our flight to Hanoi landed at 2 in the morning. We decided to spend the rest of the night at the airport to be able to take the first public bus to the hostel.

Big mistake.

We took turns stretching out on the airport seats through the night. But that did nothing good to our backs and exhausted, sleep-deprived selves. It’s always better to book an extra night stay and get that sleep to start fresh. Nonetheless the adrenaline helped us power through the day.

On the plus side, the bus ride was something new and fun. We missed our stop but had a good laugh.

I only have great things to say about Central Backpackers Hostel. It’s right in the Old Quarter, at walking distance from Hoan Kiem, Beer Street and Night Market. They host free walking tours every morning at 10 sharp, volunteered by a student. There’s a pub crawl led by a different hostel guest every night. Free breakfast on the terrace. Wonderful staff.

I was surprised to see that they have a lift! Usually hostels do not because of the backpacking culture. Thankfully, it saved us lugging our bags up the stairs. I also noticed that hostels/homestays without a lift generally have a luggage lift, which is a lifesaver.

b. Hoi An – Lisa Homestay 2 – INR 4,100 for 3 nights (does not include breakfast)

Hoi An might be an anagram of Hanoi but that’s all that is similar between the two. 

The hostel culture has not caught on in the quaint town as wildly as it has in the capital city. Not surprising. There are primarily two areas to stay in Hoi An – the Old Town or near the An Bang beach. Considering the beach is only a 30 minute drive away, we chose to stay in the Old Town across the Thu Bon river. 

Lisa Homestay 2 was right on the walking street with the night market. The owners of the homestay lock up at 10 pm. But because it’s a tourist-first country, we were given a copy of the keys to the main door to enter and leave as and when we please.

Our room was on the third floor. Nice and cozy. Clean room and bathroom. Comfortable bed. Balcony overlooking the pretty night market. What more can you ask for!

I think I will write a whole blog about the dreamy beauty of Hoi An soon.

c. Da Nang – Lighthouse Hostel – INR 1,800 for 1 night

For our Vietnam trip from India, we booked a private room with an ensuite bathroom in Da Nang. Again, great location. It is at a walking distance from the beach and a 10-minute drive from the Marble Mountains. Breakfast was not included in this price. 

Ours was a huge room with a huge balcony. Clean room and bathroom. Comfortable big bed. A cabinet full of French books.

d. Ho Chi Minh City – Thao Nhi Hotel – INR 5,640 for 3 nights

This is the cheapest option we got without skimping on comfort and location. It is located right on the Bui Vien street (or party street) in District 1. This price did not include breakfast. The room was huge with a double bed and a single bed. It had a balcony and a large bathroom with a bathtub. 

Total rounded-off hotel cost – INR 21,000

Hotel Cost Breakdown of Our Vietnam Trip from India

Location	Hotel Name	Booked from	Stay Duration	Inclusions	Cost for 2 (in INR)
Hanoi	Central Backpackers Hostel	Hostelworld	4 nights	Breakfast	9,330
Hoi An	Lisa Homestay 2	Booking.com	3 nights	_	4,100
Da Nang	Lighthouse Hostel	Hostelworld	1 night	_	1,800
Ho Chi Minh City	Thao Nhi Hotel	Booking.com	3 nights	_	5,640
Total Hotel Cost					~21,000

3. Vietnam Trip Cost from India: Tours

Klook was our go-to for activity and tour bookings for our Vietnam trip from India because the costs are reasonable and they have good coverage. Here’s what we booked:

• Thang Long Water Puppet show – INR 1,236
• Ha Long Bay day trip – INR 7,607 
• Ninh Binh day trip – INR 6,298
• Coconut forest tour & cooking class – INR 4,644
• Cu Chi Tunnel day trip – INR 3,088
• Bitexco Skydeck – INR 1,358

Total rounded-off tour cost – INR 24,500

4. Vietnam Trip Cost from India: Visa 

Indian citizens need to apply for an e-visa to Vietnam. There is no visa on arrival. A single entry e-visa is valid for 90 days and costs around INR 2,100 if you apply directly through the Vietnamese immigration portal. 

We however wanted to bypass the effort and applied for our visas through Atlys which cost us a little bit extra.

Rounded-off Vietnam Visa cost for Indians – INR 6,000 for 2 people

5. Vietnam Trip Cost from India: Food

Vietnam is a food paradise if you are not rigid about your preferences. Rice is a staple of Vietnam and is present in most of its dishes. So if there’s anything that can be made using rice, Vietnam has it. They have sticky rice, broken rice, noodles made out of rice, rice crisps, rice crepes, rice flan, rice cakes, and so on. Add to that the long coastline, which means you get fresh seafood at dirt cheap prices. There’s also an abundance of meat choices. There are numerous vegetarian choices as well. All in all, Vietnam is a food-lover’s mecca for Indians.

Vietnam’s sidewalks are unofficially used for food-stall seating and scooter parking. There are lines of tiny plastic stools and low-rise plastic tables along these sidewalks. Such a communal way to eat. But if not for the stools, it would look like you were squatting on the sidewalk wolfing down bun cha and pho. 

We can vouch for food quality because we lived on sidewalk food and not for once had a problem. Of course, the food costs were inexpensive. A sidewalk meal on an average would cost less than INR 1,000 for 2 people.

Rounded-off Food Cost – INR 25,000 (an average of 3 meals per day)

6. Vietnam Trip Cost from India: Transportation

Grab is the Uber of Vietnam. You can book Grab bikes, hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs through the app. A 5 km ride would cost you about INR 200. The rides are comfortable, promptly accepted and arrive in a surprisingly short time. 

Vietnam is a very walkable city. There’s traffic, yes. But the people are accommodating. So there’s hardly any speeding and pedestrians always have the right of way. 

Selecting the stays within walking distance of the primary locations helped reduce our transport cost. Also, we used the public bus service as much as possible to commute within the city. These are air-conditioned buses with comfortable seating. They have subsidized fares of around INR 20 per person for a less than 10 km route. For the times we needed a car, we relied heavily on Grab.

Rounded-off Transport Cost – INR 20,000

Total Cost : INR 1,71,500

The Itinerary of My Vietnam Trip from India

This is the route we took:

Kolkata → Hanoi → Hoi An → Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City → Kolkata

Day	Location	Activity
Day 1	Hanoi	Walking tour Thang Long Puppet show Hoan Kiem lake
Day 2	Halong Bay	Day tour
Day 3	Ninh Binh	Day tour
Day 4	Hanoi	Ho Chi Minh Museum Temple of Literature Train Street
Day 5	Hoi An	Fly to Da Nang + Self transfer
Day 6	Hoi An	Coconut forest tour Cooking class Hoi An Ancient Town
Day 7	Hoi An	An Bang Beach
Day 8	Da Nang	Marble Mountain Lady Buddha My Khe Beach
Day 9	Ho Chi Minh City	Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 10	Ho Chi Minh City	Saigon Central Post Office Notre Dame Cathedral War Remnants Museum Ben Thanh Market Apartment Cafe
Day 11	Ho Chi Minh City	Cu Chi Tunnels Bitexco Skydeck Hop-on Hop-off bus (city tour)
Day 12	Ho Chi Minh City	Independence Palace Return to Kolkata (India)

I have written a complete blog on the detailed Vietnam itinerary.

My Recommendations for Your Veitnam Trip

• Stay the night on a Halong cruise ship instead of going for a day trip
• Do not sleep at the airport unless your body permits it. Book an extra night at the hotel instead.
• Sit on the red plastic baby stool on the sidewalk and have the bun cha
• Do not be afraid to cross the road even though it might seem like you will get run over. Believe me, you won’t. The scooters will simply swerve around you.
• Spend more than one night in Hoi An
• Haggle your heart out in Ben Thanh market
• If you decide to send anyone a postcard from the Saigon post office, buy an envelope and put the card in it. Otherwise, your postcard will surely get lost in the mail.
• The bamboo hats don’t just look cool, they actually keep your head cool and protected from the harsh sun
• Take at least one of these classes: cooking, pottery, lantern making
• Tip your boatmen and waiters. Vietnam is a very poor country. If you can afford to go there, you surely can afford to tip.
• Visit the museums and rent the audio guides. Vietnam’s history is riddled with destruction. You will feel the pain they’ve been through. And then when you see them smile, you will know how earnest it is.
• Trust the Vietnamese. If a taxi driver says that there is no bus going into town from the airport after 5 pm, there really isn’t. (I made the mistake of not trusting this man at the Da Nang airport)
• Catch the sunset from the 49th floor of the Bitexco Skydeck in Saigon. It felt surreal to watch the sun set over a bustling, dazzling city from that high above.
• Mingle as much as possible. You will learn a lot – take it from an introvert.
  We made friends with a shepherd from France who had some pretty interesting world theories we talked about.
  We met a man from South Korea whom we could only communicate with through Google Translate and he created some wicked mixes for us to try.
  We met a man from Turkey who lives in Japan for work and said he wanted to hug the living roots bridge of Meghalaya.
  We met a lady from Malaysia who insisted we drop her a line when we visit her country because she wants to carry on the tradition of welcoming guests and showing them around just like her mother does.
  We met a Vietnamese man who told us that the name of his soon-to-be-born daughter means “a good way to go”.

What a magnificent country! And what magnificent people! I’d leave you with one thought that Vietnam gifted me:

I’m forever amazed at how stories are built into the fabric of our existence. Only stories connect us. The stories we share and the stories we leave behind. Stories are our only inheritance. We are entitled to nothing else.

Let me know if you have any questions. I’d be happy to answer them.

Related Read: Vietnam Itinerary for a 30-something Couple With Low Budget

How Far Will a Budget of 1.7L Go for a Vietnam Trip from India in 2027 for 2 People?

Let’s see how far we can stretch the money today.

Dates: April 1 to 10, 2027

Category	Expense	Cost for 1 (in INR)
Flights	Kolkata to Hanoi	45,000
	Da Nang to Kolkata
Intercity Travel	Hanoi to Da Nang Sleeper bus (1 night) – Redbus	2,000
Hotels	Hanoi – 4 nights (Dorm in Central Backpacker’s Hostel)	3,500
	Da Nang – 2 nights (Dorm in Lighthouse Hostel)	1,700
	Hoi An – 2 nights (Private room in Lisa Homestay 2)	2,000 per person (1 night stay cost: 4,000)
Tours & Activities (Klook)	Halong Bay Cruise	4,500
	Ninh Binh Day Trip	4,500
	Coconut Boat Ride (Hoi An)	400
Visa		2,500
Food		25,000
Transportation	Scooter Rent	2,500 per person (Total rent for 8 days: 5,000)
	Petrol	1,000 per person (Total petrol cost: 2,000)
SIM Card		500
Travel Insurance	$100,000 coverage	2,000
Entry Tickets	Various attractions	1,500
Total Cost for 1 person		86,600

Cost for 2 people for a Vietnam trip from India in April 2027 would be INR 1,73,200. This would be a budget Vietnam trip and would cover 3 cities. So turns out, you would have to drop Ho Chi Minh City entirely if your budget is 2 lakhs in 2027 and you are travelling from Kolkata.

If you are planning a trip to Vietnam in 2027 for 2 people from India, a budget of approximately 2 lakhs should be a good amount for the month of April. However, you will need to book your flights and hotels latest by November for good deals.

FAQs on Vietnam Trip Cost from India

1. Is 50k INR enough for Vietnam trip cost from India?

This depends on a few factors. Without flights, 50K will be a comfortable budget for a 5-day trip in Vietnam in 2026 for 1 person if you stick to one city. This would include your hotel, food, activities, daily transport, SIM card and visa.

2. Is 7 days enough for Vietnam?

7 days is a good amount of time to cover one city but would be too tight for two cities if you are someone who likes to immerse themselves in the culture of the place. I don’t believe in touch-and-go when visiting a different country and therefore, wouldn’t recommend it to you.

3. Is 1 lakh enough for a Vietnam trip cost from India?

For 1 person visiting Vietnam from Kolkata for 8 to 10 days, 1 lakh would be a good enough approximate budget considering the following factors:

• You take this route: Kolkata → Hanoi → Da Nang → Kolkata (Flight cost from Kolkata to Hanoi and from Da Nang to Kolkata would be INR 45k; Sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Nang would cost approx. 2K)
• Hanoi: Stay for 4 nights in a dorm (Central Backpacker’s Hostel will cost approx. INR 3.5K with breakfast)
• Da Nang: Stay for 3 nights in a dorm (Lighthouse Hostel will cost approx. INR 2.6K – does not have breakfast)
• Tours: Halong Bay cruise (Approx. INR 4.5K), Ninh Binh day tour (Approx. INR 4.5K), Hoi An day tour (Approx. INR 4.5K)
• Visa: INR 2.5K
• SIM Card: Approx. INR 500
• Food cost: Approx.: INR 20K
• Transportation: Rent a scooter (Approx. cost would be INR 4K rental fee + INR 2K petrol = Approx. INR 6K)

4. How much will a 7 day trip to Vietnam cost from India?

Approximately 1 lakh INR whinch includes flights from and back to Kolkata, dormitory stays in 2 cities in Vietnam, visa, food, internal transportation, SIM card, and a couple of tours.

5. What can 20,000 dong buy in Vietnam?

As of September 2026, 20,000 Vietnamese dong converts to INR 72 approximately. You can get any one of the following for 20,000 dong in Vietnam today:

• Vietnamese iced coffee from a street vendor
• A banh mi (Vietnamese snadwich)
• A bottle of water
• A packet of chips from a convenience store like Circle K

6. How much cash for 10 days in Vietnam?

As of 2026, a 10-day budget Vietnam trip from India, specifically Kolkata would cost approximately 1 lakh for one person. Here’s a breakdown:

• Take this route: Kolkata → Hanoi → Da Nang → Kolkata (Flight cost from Kolkata to Hanoi and from Da Nang to Kolkata would be INR 45k; Sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Nang would cost approx. 2K)
• Hanoi: Stay for 5 nights in a dorm (Central Backpacker’s Hostel will cost approx. INR 4K with breakfast)
• Da Nang: Stay for 4 nights in a dorm (Lighthouse Hostel will cost approx. INR 3K – does not have breakfast)
• Tours: Halong Bay cruise (Approx. INR 4.5K), Ninh Binh day tour (Approx. INR 4.5K), Hoi An day tour (Approx. INR 4.5K)
• Visa: INR 2.5K
• SIM Card: Approx. INR 500
• Food cost: Approx.: INR 20K
• Transportation: Rent a scooter (Approx. cost would be INR 5K rental fee + INR 2K petrol = Approx. INR 7000)

7. What can I buy with 1000 rupees in Vietnam?

INR 1000 will buy you one of the following in Vietnam:

• One night stay in a dorm with breakfast
• A VIP ticket at the Thang Long Water Puppet show in Hanoi
• 2 days scooter rent
• A whole day’s food from street vendors

8. How much is a meal in Vietnam in INR?

A full meal from a street vendor would cost approx. INR 400. This will include:

• A bowl of pho/Seasoned rice with chicken (INR 200)
• Banh mi (INR 100)
• Iced coffee with milk (INR 100)

9. Do they accept INR in Vietnam?

No. Vietnamese dong is widely used along with US dollar (in certain places). If you are planning a budget trip, Vietnamese dong (VND) will be your go-to currency since you will be transacting with street vendors, budget shops etc. Get a travel card like Niyo to withdraw VND from ATMs directly instead of exchanging cash.