The Malaysian passport has climbed two places to rank 10th in the latest index by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, marking its return to the top 10 after seven years.

Singapore ranked 20th in a list of world’s 100 best food cities, surpassing Southeast Asian food hubs such as Jakarta, Bangkok, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, according to food magazine TasteAtlas.

Vietnam welcomed its 20th millionth international tourist in a single year for the first time at the Phu Quoc International Airport on Dec. 15, marking a milestone in the 65-year development of the country’s tourism sector.

Vietnam’s passport has climbed up two places to 90th in the Henley Passport Index’s December ranking, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 50 out of 227 destinations.

The Philippines, named “Asia’s leading beach destination” at the 2025 World Travel Awards, welcomed 4.7 million foreign visitors in the first 11 months of the year, marking a 3.02% year-on-year decline due to significantly lower arrivals from South Korea and China.

With South Koreans topping the list of foreign visitors to Da Nang, the city is teaching cyclo tour drivers Korean and installing multilingual audio guides in their vehicles.

Phu Quoc Island, voted the most beautiful in Asia by readers of American magazine Condé Nast Traveler, was named “world’s leading nature island destination” at this year’s World Travel Awards.

Japan has been ranked sixth on TasteAtlas’s list of the world’s 100 best cuisines this year, up three places from last year and the highest among Asian countries.

Hanoi’s only Michelin-selected fish-noodle restaurant draws diners with fried perch and fish-bone broth that is simmered for 12 hours.

Malaysia has been ranked 29th in a list of 100 best cuisines in the world this year by international food magazine TasteAtlas, trailing behind Southeast Asian neighbors Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.