Vietnam passport jumps 6 places in global ranking

The Vietnamese passport shared its ranking with Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, according to the Henley Passport Index released by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners.

Vietnamese passport has jumped from 88th position in Henley's January ranking, though the number of visa-free destinations it enjoys remains the same.

In Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese passport is more powerful than Laos (87th) and Myanmar (89th).

Singapore has replaced Japan as the country with the most powerful passport as the city-state's citizens enjoy visa-free entry to 192 global destinations.

Malaysian passport was the 11th most powerful in the world with visa-free access to 180 destinations while the Thai passport ranked 64th, with its citizens allowed to visit 79 countries without applying for a visa.

The index ranks 199 global passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes take effect.

In the latest ranking, Japan dropped to third, with visa-free access to 189 destinations around the world. It shares its position with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden.

Italy, Germany and Spain are joint-second with visa-free access to 190 destinations.

At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan with easy access to 27 destinations. Yemen (99), Pakistan (100), Syria (101) and Iraq (102) round up the bottom five.

Vietnam now allows visa waivers for 25 countries and offers e-visas to citizens of 80 countries and territories.

With historical data spanning 18 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 a standard reference tool when assessing where a passport ranks in terms of global mobility.