If you’ve ever found yourself daydreaming about ditching the city break for a slower, more soul-stirring kind of adventure, the UN’s freshly announced Best Tourism Villages for 2025 is your ready-made bucket list. The initiative, first launched in 2021, celebrates communities that champion cultural heritage, safeguard natural landscapes and welcome travellers in ways that feel meaningful rather than mass-produced. In this year’s list, 24 Asian villages made the cut.
China secured four spots on the list, each one a compelling reminder that the country’s charm extends well beyond its megacities. There’s Digang, where ancient wooden stilt houses line misty waterways, and Dongluo, a village humming with traditional craft and the rhythm of rural life. Huanggang and Jikayi round out the group – places where traditions run deep and the surrounding landscapes are lush enough to make your camera roll weep.
Japan also clocked four entries, each one a reason to hop a bullet train to somewhere extraordinary. Asuka – a cradle of early Japanese civilisation – invites travellers to wander among burial mounds and historic farmland, while Koyasan delivers monastic serenity on a mountaintop studded with towering cedars. Out on Shodoshima and Tonosho, olive groves, coastal views and sleepy island charm provide a softer kind of magic.
Further south, Indonesia’s Pemuteran earned its place with its sparkling reefs and community-led conservation projects, proving that tourism can protect paradise rather than erode it. South Korea adds two villages to the network – Muju and Yangsuri – both effortless blends of forested peaks, traditional homes and the kind of warm, communal spirit that makes rural Korea such an underrated gem.
Iran’s trio of honourees – Kandelous, Shafiabad and Soheili – showcase a country where culture, craftsmanship and desert-meets-mountain landscapes come together in ways that feel almost cinematic. Jordan’s North Azraq stands out with its oasis wetlands and community-led environmental programs, while the UAE’s Masfout brings mountain breezes and honey-coloured stone houses just a short drive from the polished glare of Dubai.
And then there’s Vietnam, which lands two villages on the list and proves, once again, that it might be home to some of the world’s most beautiful rural escapes. Lô Lô Chải, perched near the Chinese border, offers terraced fields, ancient traditions and a backdrop of limestone peaks, while Quynh Son Community-based Tourism Village keeps things intimate with stilt houses, lush rice paddies and a tourism model that aims to ensure that locals benefit as much as the visitors.
According to UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, these destinations show how rural communities can use tourism to drive shared prosperity and inclusive growth.
These are all of the Asian villages included in the UN’s Best Tourism Villages for 2025:
Azerbaijan
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Khinalig
China
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Digang
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Dongluo
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Huanggang
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Jikayi
Indonesia
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Pemuteran
Iran
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Kandelous
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Shafiabad
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Soheili
Israel (Western Asia)
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Neot Semadar
Japan
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Asuka
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Koyasan
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Shodoshima
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Tonosho
Jordan
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North Azraq
South Korea
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Muju Village
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Yangsuri
Türkiye
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Akyaka
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Anıtlı
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Barbaros
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Kale Üçağız
United Arab Emirates
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Masfout
Vietnam
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Lô Lô Chải
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Quynh Son Community-based Tourism Village
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