Vietnamese passport achieved highest ranking in 5 years

The new ranking was updated by Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2026 on January 13. In the announcement in December 2025, the Vietnamese passport ranked 90th, but for the whole year 2025, Vietnam ranked 91st. With this latest ranking, the Vietnamese passport reached the highest rank in the past 5 years, since 2020.

Although it increased 4 places, the number of visa-free destinations for Vietnamese citizens decreased when Bolivia left the visa exemption list for Vietnamese citizens.

Vietnamese tourists can currently enter 49 destinations without a visa or border visa or ETA (electronic travel permit) out of a total of 199 countries and territories. Passport rankings reflect the level of integration and openness of a country.

In terms of national openness, Vietnam ranks 80th with visa exemption for nearly 40 destinations. In the announcement in December 2025, Vietnamese passports are exempted from visas in 50 global destinations.

49 destinations for Vietnamese tourists are exempt from visa

Most destinations where Vietnamese citizens can enter without a visa or need a border visa include ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Malaysia as well as island countries such as the Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Maldives.

The highest passport rank Vietnam has ever held in HPI’s more than 20-year history is 78 (2006, 2007). Vietnam once ranked 79th (2008, 2009), 81st (2013, 2014) and 84th (2010).

Singapore continues to hold the title of the most powerful passport in the world as its citizens are allowed to enter 192 destinations without a visa. The destinations in the top 10 have not changed much, including familiar names such as Japan, Korea, and countries in the European Union. The US returns to the top 10 powerful passports, up one place compared to the ranking announced in December 2025.

The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of countries’ passport strength, based on the number of destinations the holder can enter without needing a visa first.

The rankings are built from exclusive data sources of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) combined with analysis by the Henley & Partners research team.

With 20 years of historical data, the Henley Passport Index ranks 199 passports and 227 destinations globally, updated monthly. Thanks to that, Henley Passport Index is considered an important reference tool for global citizens and countries to evaluate their passport position on the international travel map.

“2026 is expected to record the highest number of passengers ever,” commented IATA Director General Willie Walsh.