For a first trip abroad, a short break or a beach holiday, Thailand is the easier choice: Indian passport holders enter visa-free, non-stop flights of about four hours leave Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai every day, and Indian food is everywhere. Vietnam is the better pick for a week of scenery, history and food, from Halong Bay and Ninh Binh to Hoi An and Saigon, and its hotels and street food usually cost less. Here are the two side by side, with our own package prices for both.
Side by side
| Vietnam | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Visa for Indians | E-visa, US$25, plus an online arrival declaration | Visa-free up to 30 days, free arrival card |
| Non-stop flights | Hyderabad and Bengaluru, a few days a week; none from Chennai | Daily to Bangkok from all three cities |
| Flight time | About 4 to 5 hours, overnight | About 3.5 to 4 hours to Bangkok |
| Typical return fare | ₹20,000 to ₹55,000, by month | ₹20,000 to ₹35,000 most of the year |
| Mid-range hotel | ₹3,500 to ₹7,000 a night | ₹4,500 to ₹9,000 a night |
| Street food, a day | ₹700 to ₹1,200 | ₹900 to ₹1,200 |
| Our trips from | ₹38,990 for 5 days | ₹27,250 for 5 days |
| Best months | March and April, whole country | November to February |
| Best for | Scenery, history, food, a week or more | Beaches, islands, shopping, nightlife |
Fares, hotels and food are typical ranges gathered in September 2026, not quotes.
Visa and entry: Thailand is simpler
Thailand. As of September 2026, Indian passport holders arriving on or after 15 September 2026 can enter for tourism without a visa and stay up to 30 days, down from the earlier 60. Every traveller, children included, must file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th in the three days before landing. Carry a return ticket, your hotel booking and enough money to show if asked. Details: Thailand visa for Indians.
Vietnam. There is an application to make first. The e-visa costs US$25 (single entry) or US$50 (multiple entry) on evisa.gov.vn and allows a stay of up to 90 days; give it at least three weeks, although the legal processing time is three working days, and keep six months of passport validity beyond your arrival date. Vietnam also now requires a pre-arrival declaration, filed at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn in the three days before landing or on arrival. The visa fee sits outside our packages, and we help with the paperwork. Steps: Vietnam visa for Indians.
Flights from Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai
Thailand wins on convenience. Non-stop flights to Bangkok run every day: about 3 hours 45 minutes from Hyderabad, four hours from Bengaluru and 3 hours 30 to 40 minutes from Chennai. Typical fares to Bangkok are about ₹20,000 to ₹35,000 return for most of the year, highest in May and over Christmas and New Year.
Vietnam's non-stops from South India only started in 2025 and do not fly every day: from both Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Vietnam Airlines serves Hanoi and VietJet serves Ho Chi Minh City on some days of the week, as overnight flights of four to five hours. Chennai travellers change planes, which usually makes it a journey of 7 hours or more. Return fares swing with the month, from about ₹20,000 to ₹40,000 in February and March up to ₹33,000 to ₹55,000 in May, June and September. Our packages for both countries exclude international flights; we quote them separately on request.
What it costs on the ground, and what our trips cost
Day to day, Vietnam is usually cheaper. A basic double costs about ₹1,000 to ₹2,500 a night in Vietnam against ₹2,000 to ₹4,500 in Thailand, and a mid-range hotel ₹3,500 to ₹7,000 against ₹4,500 to ₹9,000. Do not count on UPI in either country as of September 2026.
Our package prices point the other way. The cheapest Thailand trip, 5 Days Bangkok Pattaya Honeymoon Retreat, starts at ₹27,250 per person; the cheapest Vietnam trip, 5 Days Hanoi Halong Bay Ninh Binh Escape, at ₹38,990, with a Halong Bay cruise night and a full-day Ninh Binh excursion. At seven days, 7 Days Phuket Krabi Bangkok Escape starts at ₹39,750 and 7 Days Vietnam Halong Saigon Mekong Bliss at ₹59,950, which covers the domestic flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Add Vietnam's often higher fare and the US$25 visa, and a short Thailand trip usually costs less in total; Vietnam's saving shows in what you spend each day.
What each country does best
- Vietnam: a night on a Halong Bay cruise among limestone islands, rowing boats through Ninh Binh's caves and rice fields, Hoi An's lantern-lit old town, the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills, Saigon's museums, the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta, and pho and banh mi on the street.
- Thailand: Bangkok's temples, including the Grand Palace (500 baht) and Wat Pho (300 baht), and its shopping; Pattaya and Coral Island; the Phi Phi islands off Phuket and Krabi's limestone bays; nightlife up to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan; and far more Indian and vegetarian restaurants.
Weather: your travel month can decide it
- November to February: Thailand's best season, dry and calm on the Phuket and Krabi side. In Vietnam only the south is warm and dry; Hanoi and Halong Bay are cool and misty. Pick Thailand.
- March and April: Vietnam's whole-country window. Thailand is hot, April most of all, though the islands stay mostly dry. Either works.
- June to August: Da Nang and Hoi An are dry, but Halong Bay cruises risk storms. Thailand's mainland and Andaman coast are in the rains; Koh Samui is comparatively dry.
- September and October: the wettest months for Phuket and Krabi, when boat trips can be cancelled. Northern Vietnam turns clear in October, but avoid Hoi An then.
More in the best time to visit Vietnam and the best time to visit Thailand.
Who should pick which
Pick Thailand if this is your first international trip, you have four or five days, you fly from Chennai and want a non-stop, you want islands between November and April, or you want Indian food without searching for it. Start with 6 Days Phuket Krabi Island Escape from ₹33,999 or the Thailand tour packages.
Pick Vietnam if you have a week or more, you would rather see karst bays, old towns and history than malls and nightlife, you fly from Hyderabad or Bengaluru on a non-stop day, or you travel in June to August for the central beaches or October and November for the north. Plan about five days per region, as on 5 Days Da Nang Hoi An Golden Bridge Bliss from ₹42,000, or browse the Vietnam tour packages.
All prices are per person on twin sharing as of September 2026. International flights are quoted separately on request for both countries, and the Vietnam e-visa fee is paid separately.
Questions we are asked most
Is Vietnam cheaper than Thailand for Indians?
On the ground, usually yes: a mid-range hotel is about ₹3,500 to ₹7,000 a night in Vietnam against ₹4,500 to ₹9,000 in Thailand. But flights to Vietnam and our Vietnam packages often cost more, so a short Thailand trip is usually cheaper in total.
Do Indians need a visa for Vietnam and Thailand?
As of September 2026, Indian tourists enter Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days, with a free digital arrival card filed in the three days before arrival. Vietnam needs an e-visa, US$25 for a single entry, applied for at evisa.gov.vn.
Which is better for a first international trip, Vietnam or Thailand?
Thailand: no visa to apply for, daily non-stop flights of about four hours from Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, and plenty of Indian and vegetarian food. Vietnam suits a week or more and a little more planning.
For the full numbers on each side, read Vietnam trip cost from India and Thailand trip cost from India. Then open the Vietnam tour packages and Thailand tour packages, tell the planner your month, your city and who is travelling, and ask for both; seeing each land package with a separately quoted flight next to it usually settles the choice.
