Traveling Visa-Free in ASEAN Member Countries

Having a Philippine Passport, one of the things that makes us difficult to travel aside from purchasing costly airfares is the mandatory application for tourist visas to most of the countries. Based on Passport Index, currently our national passport is only ranked 63 by the number of visa-free countries where we can enter (which is 62), that is a long way down from Germany and Sweden with 158.

Thankfully, our neighbours will always welcome us. Last 2006, there was a signed agreement between the ten ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) that grants the passport holders of these nations to move freely around the region and enter each country without applying for a visa for a stay of up to 30 days, depending on the regulations of each one of them. It means worry-free travel to those who wish to explore the culture around us!

Here is the list of the ASEAN Countries with their corresponding number of visa-free days:

Vietnam: Củ Chi Tunnels Half-Day Tour

During the last month of the past year, I prepared for my longest vacation so far. It was a sixteen-day trip through Indochina: Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the latter being the final country I visited. On the first seven days, I had a friend who traveled with me to Bangkok and Siem Reap, leaving me alone on my onward journey to Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam as the last part of my adventure

It was my second day in Vietnam and I had a scheduled tour which I booked earlier through the website of TourRadar. I had credits stored on that website (I don’t remember how did I earn that though) so I technically got the tour for free. It was hosted by TheSinhTourist, one of the operators around Phạm Ngũ Lão.