Vietnam drops two ranks on Henley Passport Index

The index, published on October 9, shows that people holding a Vietnamese passport have free access to 51 countries and territories.

In Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese passport is only more powerful than Myanmar.

The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association, which maintains the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of travel information.

Singapore is ranked highest in the region and second in the world, having visa-free access to 189 destinations.

Enjoying visa-free access to 190 nations and territories, the Japanese passport has become the strongest in the world after it gained visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, according to a Henley press release.

Completing this quarter ranking of Top 5 global passports are France, Germany and the Republic of Korea, with citizens of these countries having visa-free access to 188 destinations.

The bottom five passports in the world are Pakistan (33 destinations); Somalia and Syria (32); Afghanistan and Iraq (30).

The US and UK have slid down one spot to sixth place with both having access to 186 destinations.

China, the world’s second largest economy, is among the biggest climbers, getting 14 more visa-free destinations in this year-to-date ranking. The country is ranked 71st with visa-free access to 74 destinations.