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| Vietnamese citizens are allowed to enter 55 countries and territories without a visa. (Photo: VNA) |
According to the global passport ranking released by the London-based Henley & Partners immigration consulting firm on July 18, Singapore overtook Japan to become the holder of the most “powerful" passport in the world.
With a Singapore passport, citizens of this country are allowed to enter 192 of 227 global destinations without a visa.
The last time Singapore topped the rankings was in 2021, with 194 visa-free destinations, and Japan ranked second with 193 visa-free destinations.
Then in 2022, Singapore and the Republic of Korea ranked second with 192 visa-free destinations.
In the same year, Japan topped the rankings with 193 visa-free destinations.
In the latest ranking, Italy, Germany and Spain are in second place as their citizens are allowed visa-free entry to 190 destinations.
Japan dropped to third place; holders of this country's passports are exempted from visas in 189 countries and territories.
The countries in third place also include Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea and Sweden.
Although the US passport is still in the top 10 most "powerful" passports in the world (8th place), this country has the least increase in passport index in the past 10 years.
The UK, after a decline due to leaving the European Union (EU), returned to fourth place - the position it held in 2017.
Vietnam is ranked 82nd by Henley & Partners, up 6 places compared to last year. Vietnamese citizens can visit 55 countries and territories without a visa.
Afghanistan is at the bottom of the ranking as its citizens can enter 27 destinations without a visa.
The Henley Passport Index is based on proprietary data from the International Air Transport Association, the largest, most accurate database of travel information, and has been published annually for the past 19 years.
The index is considered a standard reference tool when assessing a passport's rank in terms of global mobility./.