Vietnamese passport drops five places on Henley Passport Index

The newest version of the index indicates that people holding a Vietnamese passport enjoy visa-free access to 55 countries and territories globally.

In Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese passport is more powerful than those of both Laos and Myanmar.

The Malaysian passport was the 12th most powerful in the world, with visa-free access to 182 destinations, while the Thai passport ranked 63rd, with its citizens allowed to visit 82 countries without needing to apply for a visa.

France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Spain, and Japan share first position as the most powerful passport in the world this year, as their citizens ae able to visit 194 countries and territories without a visa.

In contrast, the world’s weakest passports are those from poor countries mired in conflict, including the likes of Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Passport holders from these nations are only able to visit between 28 and 34 other countries without a visa.

Vietnam currently offers visa waivers to citizens of 25 countries, including nine ASEAN members, Chile, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, the UK, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, and Belarus, plus seven EU members of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

With historical data spanning a total of 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.

The Henley Passport Index is updated quarterly and is considered to be a standard reference tool when it comes to assessing where a passport ranks in terms of global mobility.