Indian passport holders searching for a Da Nang visa run usually get there the same way: the 90 days ran out, or the trip got longer than the visa allowed, and suddenly the options are a flight somewhere expensive or a day trip to the border. In Central Vietnam the day trip wins. The run from Da Nang to Lao Bao is the same-day fix that expats and long-stay travelers use, and it works for Indian passports with a bit of planning.
There is one fact that shapes everything on this page: India is not on Vietnam's visa exemption list. There is no visa-free entry to the mainland for Indian citizens, so the 90-day e-visa is the backbone of any stay. That puts Indian passport holders in the same group as Australians, Canadians and Americans, who also rely on the e-visa, rather than the group that gets a free 45-day stamp on arrival.
The run itself does not care about your passport. It is about 290 km from Da Nang to the Lao Bao border crossing in Quang Tri, 4.5 to 5.5 hours each way over the Hai Van Pass and down through Hue. You leave before dawn, cross into Laos at the Densavan checkpoint on the far side, turn around, and re-enter Vietnam the same day with a fresh stamp. Door to door it takes 10 to 12 hours.
This page covers the Indian passport case properly: the e-visa rules that apply to you, the documents the border checks, what happens at Lao Bao on the day, and what the whole trip costs in 2026. Where something is specific to Indian applicants, like photo requirements and name matching, it is called out.
Yes, and this is where a lot of confusion starts. Vietnam's visa exemption list covers a fixed group of countries, mostly in Europe plus Japan, South Korea, Russia and a few others. India is not on it. Indian passport holders cannot walk up to immigration and get a free entry stamp, whether they arrive by air, land or sea.
There is one narrow exception that comes up in searches, and it is worth understanding so you do not plan around it: Phu Quoc Island. Indian citizens can stay visa-free on Phu Quoc for up to 30 days, but only if they arrive directly at Phu Quoc's airport or seaport and stay on the island. The moment you move to the mainland, including Da Nang, the exemption no longer applies. For anyone reading this page, the exception is a distraction, not a plan.
Since August 2023 the practical answer for Indian travelers has been the e-visa. Vietnam opened the e-visa to all nationalities that year and extended it to 90 days, with single and multiple entry options. The fee is 25 USD for a single entry and 50 USD for multiple entries, paid online when you apply, and it is non-refundable if the application fails.
For an Indian passport holder living in or visiting Da Nang, the e-visa does double duty. A fresh e-visa gives you 90 days from the day you enter, which is the longest single stay available without a residence card. And when those 90 days run out, the same-day run to Lao Bao is how you start the next 90 days without flying anywhere. The border crossing accepts the e-visa, and re-entry with a valid approval letter is routine.
The application itself is done on the official government portal, evisa.gov.vn, and takes about fifteen minutes once your documents are ready. Three things cause most of the rejections for Indian applicants, and all three are avoidable.
First, the entry port. The application asks you to list the port where you plan to enter Vietnam, and this is the single most common mistake across all nationalities. If you are doing a visa run, Lao Bao must be the entry port on the application, spelled as the international border gate of Lao Bao in Quang Tri province. If the letter says a different port, the officer at Lao Bao can refuse entry, and the 25 or 50 USD fee is not refunded. You cannot edit the port after submission; a wrong port means a new application and a new fee.
Second, the photo and the passport scan. The photo needs a plain white background, no glasses glare, no shadows, and it must be a recent picture, not a crop of an old one. The passport scan needs to be the full biographical page, sharp and readable, in JPEG or PNG under 2 MB. Blurry scans are the classic reason an application sits in processing for days or comes back as an error.
Third, the name. Your name on the application must match your passport exactly, letter for letter, including the order of your given names. Indian passports with long or compound names trip up here more than most, because a shortened or reordered name in the application will not match the passport at the border.
Your passport itself needs at least six months of validity beyond the entry date, and two blank pages. Processing is normally 3 to 4 working days, with fast tiers that return the approval in 1 to 2 days, and same-day options on the run day itself if the letter is late and the border is waiting.
The day starts early. Pickup runs between 04:00 and 06:00 from your hotel or apartment across Da Nang, and the van or car heads north over the Hai Van Pass, down through Hue, then west toward the border. Plan on 4.5 to 5.5 hours of driving each way, with comfort stops roughly every two hours. Most drivers aim to reach Lao Bao before the border gets busy, which is why the pickup window is so early.
At the border you exit Vietnam first. The exit stamp matters more than people expect: it proves your previous stay ended cleanly, and for an e-visa cycle it is what lets the next application be filed while you are outside the country. Then you walk across to the Densavan checkpoint on the Laos side, one of the Vietnam-Laos crossings that still issues a Laos visa on arrival.
Indian passport holders need the Laos visa on arrival even for a same-day run, because you are technically entering Laos. The fee runs roughly 30 to 35 USD in cash, and the counter wants clean US dollar bills, a passport photo if you have one, and a filled-in application form, which they hand you at the window. Processing takes 15 to 30 minutes. The border stalls do not take cards, so cash is not optional.
Then you reverse it: Laos exit, Vietnam re-entry, and your fresh stamp. With a valid e-visa approval letter listing Lao Bao as the entry port, the officer stamps you in for a new 90-day period. The whole crossing, with a fixer handling the paperwork, takes about 45 to 60 minutes. The drive home is the same 4.5 to 5.5 hours, and you are back in Da Nang the same evening.
One thing to know: officers do notice very quick turnarounds. A same-day loop is normal on this route and is done constantly, but a passport with a pattern of short stays can draw a question. Have your answer ready, keep your documents organized, and if you are running on the e-visa cycle rather than repeated short stamps, the officer sees a clean 90-day pattern, which is exactly what you want.
Transport is the big line item and it is the same for every nationality. The shared van runs from 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 VND per seat, which makes it the default for solo travelers. The private car runs from 3,200,000 to 3,400,000 VND for the whole vehicle, which suits couples, families, and anyone with luggage who wants control over the stops. For two people the car is already close to the van on price.
The visa side for Indian passport holders has two parts. The Vietnam e-visa costs 25 USD for a single entry or 50 USD for multiple entries, paid online to the government, and that fee covers the full 90 days, not a single run. The Laos visa on arrival at Densavan costs roughly 30 to 35 USD in cash, and that one you pay every time you cross, because you buy it at the border on the day.
On top of that, bring cash for lunch at the border restaurants, around 50,000 to 100,000 VND per person, and keep small notes for the stamping fee on the Laos side. Nothing at the border takes a card, so carry US dollars for the visa counters and dong for everything else.
Total the day up for a solo traveler on a shared van and you are looking at roughly 1.1 to 1.5 million VND in transport, Laos visa and food, before the e-visa fee. The e-visa at 25 USD is about 625,000 VND for a single entry, and at 50 USD about 1,250,000 VND for multiple entries, both around 2,100 to 4,200 INR. Spread over 90 days, that is a small monthly cost compared with flying to Bangkok or Singapore for a visa trip, which costs a flight, hotels, and two full days.
Yes. India is not on Vietnam's visa exemption list, so Indian passport holders use the 90-day e-visa. The Phu Quoc visa-free option only applies to travelers who arrive directly on the island and stay there.
25 USD for a single entry or 50 USD for multiple entries, valid for 90 days, paid online at evisa.gov.vn. The fee is non-refundable.
Up to 90 days from the day you enter. When those 90 days run out, a same-day run to Lao Bao starts the next 90-day cycle.
Yes. The Densavan checkpoint at Lao Bao issues a Laos visa on arrival, roughly 30 to 35 USD in cash, plus a passport photo and a form filled in at the window.
Lao Bao. If the approval letter lists a different port, entry at Lao Bao can be refused and the fee is not refunded.
A passport valid for at least six months with two blank pages, the printed e-visa approval letter with Lao Bao listed as the entry port, and cash for the Laos visa and border fees.
Ready to book: message WhatsApp at +84 33 410 3857 with your pickup area, date, and nationality. Pickup runs 04:00 to 06:00 across Da Nang, and we will confirm the vehicle, price, and pickup window, usually within the hour.
