Vietnam Tour from Coimbatore: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh in 7 Nights — Visa, Route & Cost

I’ve taken over a dozen groups from Tamil Nadu to Vietnam in the last four years — families from Coimbatore, couples from Chennai, college friends from Madurai — and Vietnam consistently earns the highest satisfaction scores of any Southeast Asian destination we operate. The exchange rate works in your favour (₹1 gets you roughly 285 VND), the food scene has solid vegetarian options if you know where to look, and the geography packs enormous variety into a single trip. After running Vietnam tours for groups ranging from eight to thirty people, here’s everything you actually need to plan a Vietnam trip from Coimbatore — flights, e-visa, routes, costs, and the details that most blog posts skip.

Quick Answer

• e-Visa: Apply at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn — USD 25 (≈₹2,100), approved in 3 business days, 90-day multiple entry
• Flights from CBE: ₹18,000–₹38,000 return via Singapore (SIN) or Bangkok (BKK); open-jaw into Hanoi, out of Ho Chi Minh City works best for North-South routes
• Land cost (7N/8D North-South): ₹45,000–₹70,000 per person excluding flights
• Best itinerary structure: Hanoi → Ha Long Bay overnight → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City
• Vegetarian key phrase: “Không thịt, Không hải sản” — carry this written down

Vietnam e-Visa: Step-by-Step for Indian Passport Holders

The Vietnam e-visa process became significantly easier in August 2023 when Vietnam upgraded to a 90-day multiple-entry visa from the old 30-day single-entry. This is a genuine improvement — it means you can enter, exit to Cambodia or Laos, and re-enter within 90 days without applying again. For a standard tour from Coimbatore, you’ll use a fraction of that validity, but the flexibility is there.

Official Website Only

Apply exclusively at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn — this is the Vietnamese government’s official immigration portal. I’ve seen travellers from our groups get caught by third-party sites that charge USD 50–80 for the same visa. Those sites are middlemen at best and scams at worst. The official fee is USD 25 (approximately ₹2,100 at current rates), and you pay directly to the government with a credit or debit card.

What You Need to Apply

• Scanned copy of your passport (bio-data page) — must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your travel date
• Recent passport-size photo in JPEG format (white background, face clearly visible)
• International credit or debit card for the USD 25 payment
• Hotel booking confirmation for your first night in Vietnam
• Your intended entry and exit dates

Processing and Approval

Processing takes 3 business days. Apply at least 7–10 days before departure to give yourself buffer time. The visa is emailed to you as a PDF — print it or save it on your phone. Vietnamese immigration at the airport will scan the QR code; you do not need to collect anything at a visa-on-arrival counter. Save the PDF offline before you board.

Flights from Coimbatore (CBE) to Vietnam

Coimbatore does not have direct connectivity to Vietnam. All routes require one connection, typically through Singapore or Bangkok. Here’s what the realistic options look like:

Open-jaw tip: For a North-South trip, fly into Hanoi (HAN) and out of Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). This avoids backtracking and the price difference versus a return from the same city is usually ₹1,000–₹3,000 — well worth it. Search open-jaw itineraries on Google Flights by entering HAN as destination and SGN as return origin.

The Bangkok connection is usually the cheapest, but check layover times carefully — Bangkok Airways connections through Suvarnabhumi can be tight if IndiGo from CBE is delayed. I recommend a minimum 2.5-hour layover in BKK and 2 hours in SIN.

North-South vs South-Only vs North-Only: Which Route?

Vietnam is a long, narrow country — about 1,650 km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. You cannot drive between the two in a day trip. Choose your route based on how many days you have:

For groups coming from Coimbatore for the first time, I almost always recommend the North-South route with 8 nights. It costs more and requires internal flights (Da Nang or Hoi An segment), but the range of experiences — Old Quarter Hanoi, the scale of Ha Long Bay, Hoi An’s lantern-lit streets, the intensity of Ho Chi Minh City — gives people a complete sense of the country rather than one slice of it.

Ha Long Bay: Day Cruise vs Overnight — What I Actually Recommend

Ha Long Bay is the image that sells Vietnam. Roughly 1,600 limestone karsts rising from emerald water across 1,500 sq km. Whether you spend one night or two nights on the bay makes a significant difference in what you experience.

Day Cruise (6–7 Hours)

Cost: ₹3,000–₹6,000 per person. You board at around 8 AM, visit one or two caves, have lunch on board, do a kayak stint, and return to Halong City by 4 PM. You see the bay, but the experience is rushed and you share the main bay area with hundreds of other day boats. I’d only recommend this if you genuinely cannot spare an extra night.

Overnight Cruise (2 Days / 1 Night) — Strongly Recommended

Cost: ₹8,000–₹15,000 per person. This is the version worth doing. You stay on the boat overnight, wake up to sunrise over the karsts with almost no other boats visible at dawn (the day cruise crowds haven’t arrived yet), and have time for a proper cave visit, squid fishing, and a cooking demonstration. The difference in atmosphere between 6 PM and 6 AM on Ha Long Bay is remarkable.

Which Cruise Operators to Look For

• Indochina Junk — well-established, good safety record, traditional junk boat design
• Paradise Cruises — mid-to-premium range, reliable service, popular with international groups
• Stellar of the Seas — Cat Ba Island based, operates in Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba / Lan Ha Bay tip: Cruises based out of Cat Ba Island operate in Lan Ha Bay rather than the main Ha Long Bay area. Lan Ha Bay is administratively separate but equally beautiful and noticeably less crowded. If you’re booking in peak season (July–August, December–January), the Cat Ba-based operators give you a calmer experience without sacrificing scenery.

Hoi An Tailoring: What to Order, Where, and How Long It Takes

Hoi An has dozens of tailor shops and the quality varies enormously. The key mistake most tourists make is ordering on Day 1 and expecting pickup on Day 2. For anything with a proper fit — suits, ao dai, structured dresses — you need at minimum 48 hours to allow for a first fitting and one round of alterations.

Recommended Shops

• Lotus Tailor — 89 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An. Consistently good quality on women’s pieces, fair pricing, English-speaking staff who understand fit notes.
• Yaly Couture — One of the most well-known names in Hoi An, slightly more expensive than average but reliable on complex garments like multi-piece suits.

What to Order (and What Not to)

Worth ordering: custom ao dai (the traditional Vietnamese tunic — women’s versions are stunning), tailored suits, structured dresses, linen shirts. Not worth ordering: plain t-shirts, casual shorts, anything you could buy off a rack at home. The value of Hoi An tailoring is in structured, fitted garments where the custom cut makes a real difference.

Pricing

Expect ₹2,000–₹5,000 per piece depending on fabric choice and complexity. A full suit (jacket + trousers) in good wool blend fabric runs ₹8,000–₹12,000 — a fraction of what the same garment costs in India. Ao dai in silk fabric typically runs ₹3,000–₹5,000.

Practical rule: Walk in on Day 1 in Hoi An, get measured, choose fabric, confirm your pickup for Day 3 (not Day 2). This gives the tailor adequate time and you a full fitting session with time for adjustments.

Vegetarian Food in Vietnam: What Works and What Doesn’t

Vietnamese cuisine is built around pho (beef/chicken broth), banh mi with meat, and seafood. Pure vegetarian options exist but require knowing where to look. Here’s what I tell every group before departure:

The Essential Phrase

Write this down and show it at every restaurant: “Không thịt, Không hải sản” — this means “No meat, no seafood” in Vietnamese. Saying it verbally as a foreigner often leads to miscommunication; showing it written on your phone screen is more reliable.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Bui Vien Street area (Pham Ngu Lao district): Ganesh Indian Restaurant serves proper South Indian vegetarian food — thali, dosa, paneer dishes. Govinda’s (also near Pham Ngu Lao) is run by the Hare Krishna community and serves pure vegetarian meals at very reasonable prices.
• Quan An Chay restaurants: Buddhist vegetarian restaurants are common throughout Ho Chi Minh City. Look for the words “Chay” (vegetarian) on the signboard. These serve Vietnamese-style veg food — tofu, mushrooms, vegetables — and are often excellent.

Hanoi

• Quan An Chay near Hoan Kiem Lake: Several Buddhist vegetarian restaurants operate in the area around the Old Quarter. Ask your hotel front desk to point you to the nearest “quan chay.”
• Com chay: Order “com chay” (vegetarian rice dishes) at any restaurant showing Buddhist vegetarian options. These are typically tofu, morning glory stir-fry, and steamed rice — simple but filling.

Note: Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc cham) is used in many dishes that appear vegetarian. The phrase above covers meat and seafood, but fish sauce can still appear. In Buddhist vegetarian restaurants, fish sauce is not used — these are your safest option for strict vegetarians.

Sample 7 Nights / 8 Days North-South Itinerary

This is the structure I run with most groups from Coimbatore doing Vietnam for the first time. Internal flights are on Vietnam Airlines or VietJet — both reliable, and the Da Nang and HCMC legs are short (1–1.5 hours).

• Day 1 — Arrive Hanoi: Land at Noi Bai International Airport, transfer to Old Quarter hotel. Evening walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple view from the bridge, dinner at a Bun Cha restaurant on Hang Manh Street.
• Day 2 — Depart for Ha Long Bay: Morning pickup from hotel (3.5-hour drive to Halong City), board overnight cruise. Afternoon cave visit (Sung Sot Cave), kayaking, sunset on deck.
• Day 3 — Ha Long Bay → Hanoi → Da Nang: Sunrise on deck, breakfast, morning tai chi session, return to Halong City by noon. Transfer to Hanoi, evening flight to Da Nang (VN-1561 or similar, ~1.5 hrs). Check in to Da Nang or Hoi An hotel.
• Day 4 — Hoi An Ancient Town: Full day in Hoi An — Japanese Covered Bridge, Ancient Town walk, Tan Ky Merchant House. Afternoon: visit Lotus Tailor or Yaly Couture, place your tailoring order. Evening: lantern-lit riverside dinner.
• Day 5 — Hoi An: Cooking Class or Beach + Tailoring Pickup: Morning cooking class at Red Bridge Cooking School (highly recommended — market visit + hands-on class) or beach day at An Bang Beach. Late afternoon: tailoring pickup and final fitting.
• Day 6 — Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City: Morning flight from Da Nang to Tan Son Nhat Airport (~1.5 hrs). Check in to hotel in District 1. Afternoon: Ben Thanh Market (good for spices, lacquerware, coffee). Evening: rooftop bar at Saigon Skydeck or Chill Skybar.
• Day 7 — Cu Chi Tunnels + Reunification Palace + Bui Vien: Morning half-day tour to Cu Chi Tunnels (45 km northwest of HCMC) — the 250-km network of guerrilla tunnels from the Vietnam War is genuinely fascinating. Afternoon: Reunification Palace (Ben Thanh area), War Remnants Museum. Evening: Bui Vien Street for street food and atmosphere.
• Day 8 — Depart Ho Chi Minh City: Transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport. Flights back to Coimbatore via Singapore or Bangkok.

Cost Summary: What to Budget for Vietnam from Coimbatore

The following covers land costs only for a 7 night / 8 day North-South trip. Flights from CBE are additional.

Add ₹18,000–₹38,000 per person for return flights from Coimbatore. A complete Vietnam trip from CBE for one person runs ₹63,000–₹1,08,000 depending on flight timing, cruise category, and hotel standard. Group discounts on cruises and tours typically apply for 8+ people.

Practical Information

What to Pack

• Light cotton or linen clothing — Vietnam is warm and humid; avoid heavy fabrics
• One light jacket or layer for Ha Long Bay overnight (it gets cool on deck after sunset)
• Comfortable walking shoes — Hoi An Ancient Town and Hanoi Old Quarter involve a lot of walking on uneven surfaces
• Rain jacket or compact umbrella — afternoon showers are common in most seasons
• Reef-safe sunscreen — beaches at Phu Quoc and Hoi An have strict environmental rules
• A small day backpack for city days and the Ha Long Bay cruise
• Power bank — long travel days between cities
• Printed e-Visa PDF (also saved offline on phone)
• Any prescription medication with a doctor’s note in English
• A list of dietary restrictions in Vietnamese (use the phrase above for vegetarian needs)

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to book your Vietnam trip from Coimbatore? View our Vietnam Classic 6N/7D tour package with detailed day-by-day itinerary and group pricing, or contact Vistaar directly to discuss custom dates, group size, and any specific requirements for your group.