The Vietnamese passport has climbed six positions to secure 82nd place in global rankings, according to the latest Henley Passport Index released by the London-based consultancy Henley & Partners on July 18.

Vietnam shared its ranking with Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali, with Vietnamese citizens being able to visit 55 countries and territories without a visa. Even though the Vietnamese passport has jumped from last’s year 88th position, the number of visa-free destinations it enjoys remains the same.

In Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese passport is more powerful than that of Laos (87th) and Myanmar (89th). The Malaysian passport was the 11^th-most powerful in the world, with visa-free access to 180 destinations, while the Thai passport ranked 64th, with its citizens being allowed to visit 79 countries without applying for a visa.

Singapore has overtaken Japan to become the country with the most powerful passport in the world. Singaporean citizens are allowed to enter 192 of the world’s 227 destinations without a visa.

Italy, Germany, and Spain share second place, with citizens allowed to enter 190 destinations without a visa.

Japan dropped to third after five years of sitting in the No. 1 position, with visa-free access to 189 destinations around the world, sharing its position with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden.

Afghanistan was last in the rankings, with its citizens having visa-free access to 27 destinations, just below Iraq, with 29 destinations, and Syria with 30.

The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.

It includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated quarterly, the Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum.