Vietnamese passport up 7 places: Opportunity to improve tourism and global integration

Tourists enjoy the natural scenery of Datanla waterfall (Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA)

Vietnam's passport has risen to 84th place out of 199 countries and territories, a sharp increase from 91st place in the first quarter of 2025 and three places higher than in 2024.

This is the official global announcement of Henley & Partners Organization, July 22.

The fact that the Vietnamese passport increased by 7 places in the Henley Passport Index in the third quarter of 2025 is not only a positive signal for the Vietnamese tourism industry to reach out to the international market, but also opens up wider opportunities for Vietnamese citizens in tourism, trade and global integration.

"Soft gauge" of international confidence

The fact that the Vietnamese passport increased by 7 places in the Henley Passport Index 2025 is a positive sign, reflecting the international community's level of trust in Vietnam - a stable country with growth potential and aspiration for integration.

This is one of Vietnam's biggest upgrades since Henley & Partners (headquartered in London, UK) based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to assess the level of travel freedom of countries' passports began compiling this index nearly 20 years ago.

A group of Chinese tourists visit the central relic site of Thang Long Imperial Citadel (Photo: Tuan Duc/VNA)

This result reflects positive changes in Vietnam's foreign policy, international reputation and immigration management capacity.

The Henley Passport Index is based on the number of countries and territories that a citizen of a country can enter without a visa, or only need to apply for an electronic visa (e-visa), visa on arrival or electronic travel authorization (ETA).

With 51 destinations allowing Vietnamese people to enter without a traditional visa, the Vietnamese passport is now on par with some other developing countries and ranked in the low-middle position on the global rankings.

However, the strong increase in ranking in a short period of time is a remarkable signal, showing that Vietnamese passports are gradually escaping the last group, expanding travel opportunities for citizens in the context of increasingly deep international integration.

Currently, Vietnamese citizens can enter without a visa or only need to apply for an e-visa in many countries on different continents.

This list includes ASEAN countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. These are familiar destinations for Vietnamese people both for tourism and trade.

In addition, Vietnamese citizens can also enter some African countries such as Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania, as well as some South American and Central Asian countries such as Bolivia, Suriname, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

In Asia, Maldives and Iran are also destinations that do not require Vietnamese people to have a visa.

In Southeast Asia alone, the Vietnamese passport is ranked above Laos (at 92nd position) and Myanmar (at 93rd position). Singapore continues to be the country with the most powerful passport in the region and in the world when its citizens are exempt from visas to 195 countries and territories.

Passport rankings are one of the tools to show the level of freedom of movement of citizens. In fact, the passport rankings do not simply reflect the number of visa-free destinations but also a "soft measure" of international trust, political stability, public administration capacity and the reputation of a country's citizens when traveling abroad.

A high-ranking passport reflects a safe, stable, trustworthy country that attracts international visitors, especially high-end visitors from developed countries.

The rise in passport rankings is not just a number, but also reflects citizens' access to the world, opportunities for study, business and travel.

According to the General Statistics Office, in the first 6 months of 2025, the number of Vietnamese people leaving the country reached more than 4 million, an increase of 53.9% over the same period in 2024.

Increase your chances

Passport rankings are directly linked to bilateral diplomatic capabilities, administrative transparency and citizen confidence. When countries rate a country’s reputation, civic morals and immigration control system highly, they are more likely to relax visa requirements.

In recent years, Vietnam has made some important progress in the above areas, from strengthening border security cooperation, improving e-passports to promoting bilateral visa exemption negotiations with countries in Asia, Africa and the South Pacific region.

(Source: Vietnam+)

Ms. Dao Thi Kim Lan (Royal tour) said that when visa exemption is granted, Vietnamese people can easily travel abroad without visa barriers, thereby stimulating the demand for foreign tourism.

Domestic travel companies also have the opportunity to develop more products and services to bring Vietnamese tourists abroad (outbound), thereby contributing to promoting the development of the domestic tourism industry.

To increase the competitiveness and ranking of Vietnamese passports in the world rankings, according to Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, Head of the Secretariat of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), Vietnam needs to strengthen negotiations, sign visa exemption agreements, and promote bilateral cooperation with strategic partners such as ASEAN, the EU and other developed countries.

At the same time, when traveling internationally, Vietnamese tourists also need to create a good image because each citizen going abroad plays an important role in representing the national image.

Everyone needs to respect the customs and cultural norms of the host country, showing understanding and appreciation of local traditions. By doing this, Vietnamese tourists will be more respected when traveling abroad.

Mr. Vu Van Tuyen (General Director of Travelology Vietnam) said that passport rankings are not only the result of foreign affairs efforts, but also reflect the image of Vietnamese citizens in the eyes of the world.

Any case of violating the law, staying illegally or using fake documents abroad can affect visa negotiation efforts between the two countries.

"Currently, Vietnam is making efforts to improve administrative efficiency, modernize passport issuance technology and immigration management. With the implementation of electronic chip passports, Vietnam is gradually catching up with international standards and enhancing security and anti-counterfeiting. These advances will help increase the trust of partner countries in the authenticity and transparency of Vietnam's document system. With current efforts and potential in the future, the increase in the ranking of Vietnam's passport is not only symbolic but also has a direct impact on the lives and opportunities of millions of people. It could be students wishing to study abroad, businessmen needing to attend international fairs, workers seeking legal opportunities abroad, or simply tourists wishing to freely explore the world, because this is an important key for Vietnamese people to easily access the world - not only as tourists, but also as ambassadors of culture, education, trade and hospitality," said Mr. Vu Van Tuyen. share

For the tourism industry in general and outbound tourism in particular, upgrading passport status means wider access to global tourism markets.

Vietnamese tourists will find it easier to apply for visas and enjoy more favorable visa policies, especially in developed markets such as the EU, South Korea, Japan, and Australia.

The electronic passport system and transparent administrative data are important foundations for tourism businesses to build high-end, specialized tour products, targeting high-income customers with the need to experience full-service packages - such as "conference tourism", "healthcare tourism", or "high-end pilgrimage tourism" programs to markets such as Europe, Australia, and North America.

This creates a strong motivation for tourism businesses to expand international tour products, enhancing Vietnam's competitiveness on the regional and world tourism map./.

According to Vietnam+

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ho-chieu-viet-nam-tang-7-bac-co-hoi-nang-tam-du-lich-va-hoi-nhap-toan-cau-post1052071.vnp

Source: https://baolongan.vn/ho-chieu-viet-nam-tang-7-bac-co-hoi-nang-tam-du-lich-va-hoi-nhap-toan-cau-a199601.html