How to upgrade Vietnamese passport's power

In the Henley & Partners Passport Index released in January this year, Vietnam passport's strength has dropped for the second time in a row since January last year – and is now ranked 91st globally.

With the ranking, Vietnamese citizens can enter 51 destinations without a visa or only need to apply for an e-visa, a border visa, or an electronic travel authorization (ETA) out of a total of 199 countries and territories.

From the end of last month, Vietnamese passport holders has been exempted from visa requirements when visiting Belarus, according to the bilateral visa exemption agreement between the two countries.

Some destinations that Vietnamese citizens can enter without a visa or only need an e-visa or a border visa include Barbados, Bolivia, Brunei, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde Islands, Chile, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Iran, Indonesia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Panama, Philippines, Suriname, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Tuvalu.

In Henley's top 10 of the most powerful passports in the world, Asia has four representatives which are Singapore (holding the top position, with visa-free access to 195 countries and territories), Japan (2nd), South Korea (3rd), and the UAE (10th).

In Southeast Asia, Laos is ranked 93rd while Myanmar is ranked 94th. The remaining countries are ranked above Vietnam, from 51st to 89th. This puts Vietnam's passport in terms of regional ranking only above Laos and Myanmar.

Increasing competition and ranking

A representative from the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) said that Vietnam's proactive diplomatic efforts would help increase international trust, which would easily lead to visa exemption or visa procedures being simplified when entering many countries.

In addition, impressive economic growth and integration into global markets have also contributed to strengthening Vietnam's reputation as a stable and trustworthy partner, enhancing the country's image in the eyes of international friends.

One of the suggestions stressed a need for Vietnam to participate in data sharing programs, border controls and anti-illegal immigration with other countries.

In addition building the image of Vietnam as a peaceful and stable country, promoting international cooperation, enhancing the country's position in ASEAN to promote visa-free cooperation policy in the region, is also key.

Vietnamese tourists also need to build a good image when traveling to other countries, because every citizen can represent the image of the country in a positive way, enhancing the customs and traditional culture of the host country.

The Henley & Partners Passport Index, which draws data from the International Air Transport Association, is a large database of travel information published two or three times a year.

The index has been ranking passports of countries and territories since 2006.

The Henley & Partners list is one of many rankings compiled by financial institutions to assess the power of global passports.