Essential Tips to Remember for First-Time Visitors to India

Make sure to pay attention to these things to avoid being misled.

Essential Tips to Remember for First-Time Visitors to India

Apply for Visa Online or at the Embassy

Vietnamese citizens are among the nationals eligible for online tourist visa application before arrival in India. This visa allows entry through specific airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata... with limited entry points but unrestricted exit points. The cost for online visa application is around one million dong.

Within approximately 24-48 hours or longer depending on individual backgrounds, an email notification of visa approval will be sent to the pre-registered email address. A valid tourist visa online (ETA) requires a passport photo, personal information, barcode, and the word “GRANTED” (in uppercase, bold), indicating the acceptance for entry. Print the ETA on an A4 paper for use during flight procedures in Vietnam or transit country, and entry at Indian airports. Some hotels may request you to present this ETA document so it's advisable to keep it throughout your journey.

Additionally, Vietnamese tourists can also apply for a visa directly at the Indian Embassy in Hanoi or the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City. The required documents are similar to those for online visas. The visa obtained directly will be stamped in the passport. The processing time is about 2-3 days.

According to the representative of the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, foreign nationals are only allowed to apply for one of the two types of visas, either online or directly. You need to patiently wait for the maximum visa processing time. In most cases, first-time visa applications to India are successful.

Stay Updated on News Before and During Your Trip

India is a vast country, occupying nearly the entire South Asian subcontinent. It encompasses various terrains from high mountains and plains to coastal areas. Consequently, India experiences diverse weather patterns, sometimes extreme, accompanied by various diseases.

To ensure safety during your trip to India, Vietnamese travelers should continuously update themselves with news from reputable Vietnamese-language newspapers. If possible, they should also read English-language newspapers from India, such as the Times of India.

Moreover, you can follow the Twitter account of the National Disaster Management Authority of India (@ndmaindia). The account regularly updates on natural disasters and weather conditions in many regions of this South Asian country. The agency also provides appropriate coping advice in case of unfavorable weather changes.

Silent Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport (named after the former Prime Minister of India) in the Delhi Capital Region practices silent airport standards. There are virtually no loudspeakers in arrival halls, waiting lounges, or check-in counters. Therefore, before deciding to relax until check-in time, independent travelers should set an alarm to avoid missing their flights.

Airports and other public transportation services in India respect passengers' gender. Therefore, the body security check at the security gate is divided into two lines for men and women. However, the luggage scanning machines have only one line, making this area prone to congestion.

This is a rare airport that utilizes two separate teams at a check-in counter: personnel issuing boarding passes and personnel arranging luggage on the conveyor belt. While most airports around the world typically have one staff member performing both tasks. These two teams wear different uniforms, making them easily distinguishable.

Always Bargain

Everywhere, in every situation, and with all vendors and services, you must remember the mantra that bargaining will never be excessive. Service providers in India often set prices much higher than what is acceptable. For example, when traveling from Indira Gandhi International Airport to Hazrat Nizamuddin station (about 20 km apart), a taxi driver may quote 800 rupees (almost 270,000 dong). If you opt for a prepaid taxi, the price drops to nearly half.

When bargaining, halving the price is fair enough. Service providers often set prices with very small differences to exploit the easy-to-overlook psyche of tourists. Therefore, when deciding to bargain, you must persevere to the end.

The price-splitting trick of service providers can easily trap first-time visitors to India. Initially, boatmen on the Ganges may accept an agreed price, but halfway through the journey, they may display demanding attitudes and ask for more money.

This is less likely to happen at small grocery stores because the Indian government mandates manufacturers to print retail prices on the packaging of all products sold. Therefore, the price of a bottle of water at the airport is the same as a bottle of water of the same brand sold at India Gate.

Beware of Traps

Suddenly encountering someone overly friendly who takes you around sightseeing without any demands. Be cautious, you may have been deceived.

These individuals are professional 'tour guides' but not actual guides. They are well-versed in the local operating system. You will follow their itinerary as if hypnotized. They take you to famous tourist spots, introduce you to 'trustworthy' individuals to converse with.

At some point, you'll realize these 'trustworthy' individuals will start asking for money for various reasons like donations, support, or paying for some kind of service fee. They may insist you must purchase something they sell. The schemes are executed seamlessly.

Similarly, a taxi driver will constantly suggest tourist spots for travelers to visit. It could be a restaurant, a traditional clothing store. They may lie saying: 'I need to buy something for my daughter. Would you mind accompanying me?' But upon arrival, the staff only greet you instead of the driver.

Cuisine

In general, Indian cuisine differs greatly from Vietnamese cuisine, it's quite salty and oily. The food is almost categorically divided into two distinct types: veg and non-veg. Veg dishes are similar to vegetarian dishes in Vietnam, while non-veg dishes usually consist of starch and meat. Therefore, if you plan to travel to India for about a week, it's necessary to vary your daily food intake to avoid digestive issues.

Many people say Indian food easily causes diarrhea. This is partly true and partly false. It often only happens when you eat at a very unclean eatery. If you choose suitable restaurants and dishes, you won't encounter any problems.

Part of the reason for diarrhea may be that Indian food uses a lot of oil, causing the digestive system to react slowly. You can reduce the oil in curry dishes, just eating chicken is also a good method.

Additionally, to ensure health, travelers should request that the restaurant owner reduce the salt and spicy seasonings. As a habit, they often use a lot of salt and strong spices.

Local People

The majority of Indian people are friendly and cohesive. Strangers can chat lively even if they just met on the train for the first time. They laugh and talk as if they were a family.

Moreover, they are very willing to protect their fellow countrymen from foreigners. A tuk-tuk driver demands extra money but if the passenger refuses, many people around are ready to come forward to support the driver. At this point, travelers need to remain calm to resolve the situation. When strangers step forward, it's best to signal to let them understand without interfering.

According to Dy Khoa/Vnexpress

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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour