Hanoi jumps 16 places on list of the world’s most liveable cities

Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi has moved up 16 spots on the list of the world’s most liveable cities in 2023, which was carried out by the ECA International.

ECA’s Location Ratings objectively evaluate cities around the world to form an assessment of the overall quality of living for expats in over 500 locations across the globe.

The ranking is based on a variety of liveability factors including the availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and recreational and leisure facilities; infrastructure; climate; personal safety; socio-political tensions; and air quality. The impact of some of the factors assessed will vary according to the home location of the assignee.

Singapore has maintained its position as the most liveable city in Asia according to the latest annual Location Ratings Report from global mobility expert, ECA International (ECA).

“With excellent infrastructure and facilities, low crime rates and little exposure to socio-political tensions, Singapore remains a very attractive location for expatriates,” said Mark Harrison, General Manager for Asia at ECA. “However, other locations in the region have improved and the gap between Singapore and other locations has fallen.”

“We have seen lots of small but significant improvements in areas such as transport infrastructure, health services and recreational facilities in several locations throughout Southeast Asia leading to these locations becoming more attractive,” said Harrison. This pattern of incremental improvement has seen the likes of Jakarta (213th to 196th), Phnom Penh (200th to 184th) and Hanoi (160th to 144th) climb the rankings.

Mainland Chinese cities have climbed significantly in the rankings in the last ten years, despite losing some momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some aspects of life continue to be challenging for expatriates, such as high levels of pollution, censorship, and suboptimal healthcare facilities. However, improvements in areas such as transport infrastructure and international schooling provision are the reason cities like Shenzhen (137th this year compared to 152nd ten years ago), Xi’an (163rd this year compared to 176th), and Wuhan (up from 160th to 145th) have climbed in the rankings.