Hanoi among biggest improvers in global ranking of most liveable cities

Vietnam's capital joined Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand, Perth in Australia, and Bucharest in Romania as the top five cities making most improvements to their overall livability rankings, according to EIU, the research and analysis division of the Economist Group.

EIU ranked 173 tourist cities around the world based on five criteria: political stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

Hanoi, currently home to 8 million people, scored 63 out of 100, in the EIU Global Livability Index report. Hanoi's score jumped by 3.3 points compared to four years ago.

The removal of Covid-related restrictions has overall boded well for global livability in 2023, said Upasana Dutt, head of the Livability Index.

Known as the political center of Vietnam, Hanoi has long been famed for its low violent crime rates, making it an ideal destination for inbound tourists.

Hanoi is also home to a string of cultural destinations such as UNESCO heritage site the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature - Vietnam’s first university, and the Old Quarter.

For the second year running, Austrian capital Vienna took the title of the world’s most liveable city, followed by Copenhagen.

Sydney and Melbourne claimed third and fourth, respectively.