Thailand vs Vietnam from India 2026: Costs from ₹36,999

For a first trip from India, Thailand is the easier choice: no visa for a holiday of up to 30 days, and our 5-day trips start from ₹36,999 per person. Vietnam needs an e-visa but rewards 6 to 10 days, with our trips from ₹42,999 to ₹79,999 per person (prices checked 16 Oct 2026). Every trip below includes return flights from Ahmedabad.

Each trip includes return flights from Ahmedabad, hotels with daily breakfast (4-star on twin sharing in Thailand, boutique stays in Vietnam), transfers and the listed activities, with a trip captain on every trip except Ha Long Awakening. On the Vietnam trips we file the e-visa for you. GST and TCS are shown in your written quote.

Prices checked 16 Oct 2026 from our live trip pages. Thailand visa rule from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Vietnam e-visa rules from the Government of Viet Nam and Vietnam's national tourism site, checked October 2026.

Thailand or Vietnam: which suits a trip from India?

Choose Thailand for a first trip abroad, for parents, or for beach and island days. Choose Vietnam if you have a week or more and want a night on Ha Long Bay, old towns such as Hoi An, and a country that changes from north to south.

How do trip prices compare for 5 to 10 days?

Our six trips across the two countries, per person, as listed on 16 Oct 2026:

Like for like, a 5-day trip costs ₹6,000 more per person in Vietnam (₹42,999) than in Thailand (₹36,999). Couple totals below are before GST and TCS; children are priced in your quote.

For line-by-line costs, read our Thailand trip cost guide and our Vietnam trip cost guide.

How do the visa rules compare for Indians?

Thailand: visa-free for 30 days

From 15 Sep 2026, Indian passport holders can enter Thailand without a visa for tourism and stay up to 30 days. India is on the 60-country list that the Tourism Authority of Thailand published on tatnews.org on 1 Sep 2026. Entries by land border under this exemption are limited to twice a calendar year. Before you fly, every foreign visitor fills in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th, up to three days before arrival (TAT, checked October 2026). The official site says no fee is charged for it (Thailand Immigration, checked October 2026).

Vietnam: an e-visa before you fly

Vietnam grants e-visas to citizens of all countries for stays of up to 90 days (vietnam.travel, checked October 2026). The fee is USD 25 for a single entry and USD 50 for multiple entries, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused (Viet Nam Government News, en.baochinhphu.vn). E-visa holders must enter and leave through the listed border gates, which include Noi Bai (Hanoi), Da Nang and Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City) airports. Apply only on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn. On our Vietnam trips we file it for you, so book at least three weeks ahead to leave room for it.

Which is easier for vegetarian and Jain food?

Both work with planning. Daily breakfast is included on all six trips, and most other meals are your own choice, except where a trip has set food days:

• Ha Long Awakening includes all meals on the cruise and a Hanoi food walk built around bun cha and cha ca, which are not vegetarian. Tell us at enquiry and we ask the cruise what it can serve, and change the food walk.
• Chiang Mai: Northern Soul has a khao soi crawl, a noodle curry usually made with meat, so tell us at enquiry and we plan around it.
• Bangkok & Pattaya and Da Nang & Hoi An have mostly free meals, so you choose every restaurant yourself.

For Jain meals, tell us when you enquire: we confirm each included meal with the hotel or operator before you pay, and say plainly where one cannot be done.

What does each country do well: beaches, cities or nature?

When is the weather good in each country?

Thailand. The Thai Meteorological Department describes three seasons: the northeast monsoon, the dry and cool season, from mid-October to mid-February; summer from mid-February to mid-May; and the southwest monsoon, the rainy season, from mid-May to mid-October (outlook issued 20 Aug 2026). Southern Thailand still gets heavy rain in November. On the Andaman coast, where Phuket and Krabi are, the department's normal rainfall falls from 368.8 mm in October to 193.1 mm in November.

Vietnam. Vietnam's national tourism site (checked October 2026) gives different windows by region. In Hanoi, in the north, autumn from September to November is cool and dry, and winters are cool and drizzly. Da Nang is best from March to May and in September and October, with its rainy season from November to February. Ho Chi Minh City is dry from December to April.

So for Diwali we would pick Ha Long Awakening or Chiang Mai. For late March, Da Nang & Hoi An fits well.

Which is easier with elderly parents?

Bangkok & Pattaya is our first suggestion for parents: no visa, a drive of about two hours between the cities, and optional water sports on the Coral Island day. Plan for an early start at the floating market and walking in the heat at the temples.

In Vietnam, Ha Long Awakening is the gentlest choice: four nights in one Hanoi hotel, one night on the cruise and no internal flights. Da Nang & Hoi An is gentle apart from the many steps up to the Marble Mountains viewpoint. The Grand Loop suits active parents: three cities in ten days, and the tight Cu Chi tunnels.

Phuket–Krabi is mostly boat days, so it suits parents comfortable in open water. For more by region, see our Thailand guide and Vietnam guide.

How we help

We plan Thailand and Vietnam trips from Ahmedabad with flights, hotels, transfers and, for Vietnam, the e-visa in one written quote, so you see GST and TCS before you pay. Tell us your dates, who is travelling and what each person eats, and we will tell you which country fits: start with a message.

Sources, checked October 2026: TAT, visa exemption; TAT, arrival card; Thailand Immigration, official TDAC site; Thai Meteorological Department, 3-month outlook; vietnam.travel, visa requirements; Viet Nam Government News, e-visa; Vietnam e-visa portal.

FAQs

Which is cheaper from India, Thailand or Vietnam? On our trips, Thailand: 5 days from ₹36,999 per person against ₹42,999 for 5 days in Vietnam, both with return flights from Ahmedabad (prices checked 16 Oct 2026). GST and TCS are added in the written quote.

Do Indians need a visa for Thailand and Vietnam? Not for Thailand: from 15 Sep 2026 Indians get up to 30 days visa-free for tourism, plus the free online arrival card. Vietnam needs an e-visa before you fly: USD 25 for a single entry or USD 50 for multiple entries, for up to 90 days.

Which is better for a first trip abroad with parents? Thailand, on our Bangkok & Pattaya trip: no visa, short drives and optional water sports. In Vietnam, Ha Long Awakening is the gentlest, with one Hanoi hotel and one night on a cruise.

Which is better in December, Thailand or Vietnam? Both work. Thailand is in its dry, cool season in the north and centre. In Vietnam, the north is cool and the south is dry from December, while Da Nang is in its rainy season.

Is vegetarian food easy to find in Thailand and Vietnam? It needs planning in both. Breakfast is included on all our trips, and we change any set meals, such as cruise meals or food walks, when you tell us you are vegetarian or Jain.