Henley Passport Index 2025 upgrade signals gradual gains in mobility, even as Vietnam trails its pre-pandemic peak.
Vietnam’s passport has moved up two places in the latest Henley Passport Index 2025, reflecting modest but notable progress in the country’s global travel access amid a competitive international landscape.
In the December update of the index, Vietnam now ranks 90th worldwide, up from 92nd in the previous release in October. While the improvement marks a positive shift, the ranking remains below Vietnam’s 2024 position of 87 and well off its historical high of 78 achieved in the mid-2000s.
According to Henley & Partners, Vietnamese passport holders can currently enter 50 destinations without a traditional visa, either through visa-free access or simplified mechanisms such as e-visas, visas on arrival, or electronic travel authorizations. These destinations are largely concentrated in ASEAN, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar, alongside island nations such as the Maldives, Cape Verde and the Cook Islands.
The index also tracks “passport openness,” a measure of how many nationalities a country allows to enter visa-free. On this metric, Vietnam ranks 80th globally, granting visa exemptions to nearly 40 destinations, a slight decline from the 51 destinations recorded in the third quarter update earlier this year.
Historically, Vietnam’s passport ranking has fluctuated considerably over the past two decades. Its strongest performance came in 2006 and 2007, when it ranked 78th, followed by periods in the high 70s and low 80s before sliding in more recent years amid tightening global visa regimes and uneven post-pandemic recovery.
Globally, Singapore continues to dominate the rankings as the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations. Malaysia emerged as a notable mover this year, entering the global top 10 with access to 181 destinations, highlighting Southeast Asia’s growing divergence in travel mobility. By contrast, the United States remains outside the top 10 and ranks relatively low on passport openness, despite its economic and geopolitical influence.
Henley Passport Index, which draws on International Air Transport Association (IATA) data and nearly two decades of historical records, is widely regarded as a key barometer of global mobility, economic integration and diplomatic reach. Vietnam’s incremental rise underscores gradual progress in international connectivity, while also pointing to the long road ahead if it hopes to regain its earlier standing in global passport power.
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Source: Vietnam Insider