5 Best VPN for Asia in 2024

Asia is home to countries with the strictest Internet freedom, such as China, but also to countries, such as Taiwan, which frequently tops the Internet freedom chart. So, if you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll need the best Asia VPN to keep yourself safe and secure on the Web.

With each passing year, Internet freedom seems to be declining. And according to the latest “Freedom on the Net” reports, things are getting worse as they report that none of the 8 Southeast Asian countries excel in Internet freedom for their citizens.

To overcome Internet restrictions, you need the best VPN to safely connect to the Internet. Moreover, each government has policies that block various sites and services. So, during your visit, you may find your favorite streaming platform blocked. That’s precisely where a VPN comes into play.

To overcome this, you need a trusty Asian VPN that lets you bypass Web restrictions. It’ll also keep you safe, as some Asian countries arrest online commentators. Moreover, you also need the VPN to bypass China’s Great Firewall. And then, you need to consider the diverse Internet infrastructure across Asia, making a fast VPN necessary for an optimal Web browsing experience.

This article will take a closer look at the best VPN for Asia. We’ll also teach you how to get one, so you’ll find plenty of useful information here. Let’s get started.

Best VPNs for Asia - Our Shortlist

1. NordVPN - Our #1-Rated Best VPN for Asia
2. Surfshark - Most User-Friendly Asian VPN
3. ExpressVPN - Best Easy-to-Use Asian VPN
4. CyberGhost VPN - Best Budget-Friendly VPN Provider
5. Private Internet Access - Best for In-Depth VPN Customization

How to Use a VPN in Asia

To get started, connect to a VPN server outside or inside Asia, and you can browse the Internet freely. The steps you need to follow are:

1. Sign up for the VPN that works in Asia (we recommend NordVPN).
2. Download and install the VPN app on your device.
3. Now, use your VPN account credentials to log into the VPN app.
4. From there, connect to a VPN server inside or outside of Asia.
5. Go back to your normal Internet browsing. That’s it!

You can select a VPN server within Asia or outside. It depends on where you’re and what you want to get unblocked. For example, if you’re in China and want to access local Indian content, you need to connect to an Indian VPN server. Similarly, if you want to connect to US services, you need to connect to the USA server. 

Best Asian VPN

The best VPN that works in Asia should be flexible, fast, and secure. As Asia is a huge continent, the VPN should have a vast network of servers inside and outside Asia. Regarding security, it should host the best protocols (WireGuard and OpenVPN) to overcome even the toughest censorship within Asia, including China’s Great Firewall. Moreover, it should keep the user’s privacy intact with a privacy-first approach and features, including a kill-switch and no-logs policy. Lastly, it should work on all popular devices and offer a money-back guarantee.

Following the criteria set above, these are the 5 best VPNs for Asia: 

1. NordVPN - Our #1-Rated Best VPN for Asia

NordVPN is the best VPN for Asia. It has 5,800+ servers across 60 countries, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Japan. In Asia alone, NordVPN offers close to 500 servers. However, it lacks servers in China and India.

For security, NordVPN implements the best protocols, including IKEv2, OpenVPN, and NordLynx (an in-house ultra-fast protocol built on top of WireGuard). For complete data protection, all data sent through this VPN’s tunnel is secured via 256-bit AES encryption. 

Moreover, you get impressive speeds thanks to blazing-fast servers that support P2P. It supports connecting 6 devices simultaneously and installing on routers (manual install). 

Apart from that, NordVPN ensures your online identity is always protected. Its privacy-first features include the Dark Web Monitor (notifies if personal information leaks on the Dark Web), a strict no-logs policy, as well as split tunneling (you can force a particular app to use the VPN tunnel), and a very capable kill switch.

Also, you don’t have to worry as they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, before you decide to get a refund, you can try to solve your issues via their 24/7 customer service (which includes live chat as well).

2. Surfshark - Most User-Friendly Asian VPN

Surfshark offers a clean and user-focused interface with access to brilliant features, raising the bar for any VPN for Asia. It all starts with its 3,200+ VPN servers worldwide, with quite a few Asia VPN servers.

Here, you get servers in most locations, including Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Indonesia, and even Malaysia. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer servers in China, just like ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Surfshark offers excellent features to protect its users' privacy. Their no-logs policy ensures no data is logged. Additionally, they deploy multiple techniques to further improve privacy, including a kill switch, as well as DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak protection. Moreover, they use RAM-only servers, which means your data is never logged or stored.

This Asia VPN uses 256-bit AES data encryption to create a bulletproof tunnel connection using modern VPN protocols such as WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN.

Speed-wise, Surfshark matches ExpressVPN and NordVPN. You get blazing-fast speeds, suitable even for the most bandwidth-hungry tasks. Additionally, you can connect from as many devices as you want, giving you great flexibility and value for money.

Like other VPNs for Asia on our list, Surfshark also offers excellent customer service. You can connect with them through 24/7 live chat. Lastly, they offer a no-questions-asked, 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. ExpressVPN - Best Easy-to-Use Asian VPN

ExpressVPN checks all the criteria for the best Asian VPN. It’s fast, secure, and flexible. Also, it offers 3,000+ servers in 100+ countries. When it comes to Asia, ExpressVPN has a good server presence, including servers in prominent Asian locations, such as India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan, among others.

This VPN deploys Lightway and OpenVPN protocols, as well as military-grade 256-bit AES data encryption to facilitate such excellence in security. It’s also capable of bypassing China’s Great Firewall, which tells a lot. 

With a privacy-focused approach, ExpressVPN comes with a kill switch (cutting off the Internet if your VPN connection drops) and a strict no-logs policy. Just like other capable VPN providers, ExpressVPN regularly goes through independent audits.

Also, this is one of the fastest VPNs for Asia. It offers blazing-fast servers. As a result, you also get the most out of its 8 simultaneous connections support.

Moreover, ExpressVPN offers 24/7 live chat to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Also, it comes with the standard 30-day money-back guarantee.

In conclusion, ExpressVPN is our recommended VPN in Asia. It offers excellent server locations around the Asia-Pacific region with top-notch speed. As such, it’s a perfect option for both inexperienced and highly experienced users. 

4. CyberGhost - Best Budget-Friendly VPN Provider

If you’re looking for a budget VPN for Asia without compromising on speed and features, then meet CyberGhost. It offers 9,000+ servers across 90+ countries (more than ExpressVPN and NordVPN combined).

CyberGhost is the only VPN on our list that has servers in China. It also has servers in India, Japan, and Bangladesh, among many other countries and locations across Asia.

However, CyberGhost’s servers may lack speed compared to ExpressVPN or NordVPN. But it should be enough to browse the Internet with no major lags, even when you have multiple devices connected simultaneously (maximum 7 connections at one time).

In addition to decent server support, it offers excellent security features. It creates a secure VPN tunnel using IKEv2, WireGuard, or OpenVPN. The data sent through any of those protocols are further protected with 256-bit AES encryption.

Also, CyberGhost takes users’ privacy very seriously. That’s why they implement a strict no-logs policy, which has been audited just recently.

If you ever need help, you can connect to its 24/7 customer live chat customer support. If the support cannot solve your problem (they usually do), you get a refund based on your plan. That said, if you have a longer plan, you get a 45-day money-back guarantee. For the monthly plan, you get a 14-day money-back guarantee.

5. Private Internet Access - Best for In-Depth VPN Customization

Private Internet Access is a popular Asian VPN provider, based on an open-source project that instills trust among its users. Moreover, they have thousands of servers across the globe. There are servers across Asia, including India, China, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.

On top of that, PIA is also strong in the security department. Each VPN connection uses one of 3 strong VPN protocols: OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2/IPSec. It encrypts data with the military-grade 256-bit AES algorithm to stop data snooping.

Likewise, PIA offers top-notch privacy measures, despite being headquartered in the USA (5-Eyes Alliance). To double-check, we read the results of PIA’s independent audits, where the VPN came clean with no data leaks or logging. 

In our speed tests, we found PIA’s servers to be fast. Also, PIA’s 10 simultaneous connection support also means you can use the VPN on multiple devices without any slowdowns.

Furthermore, Private Internet Access is also incredibly customizable, which makes it the best VPN to use in Asia for advanced users. You can use its advanced split tunneling to adjust which app goes through the VPN, but you can also fine-tune its protocols and encryption.

Moreover, PIA excels at its customer support. Their 24/7 live chat support is responsive, and you can also get help via their email support. Lastly, it also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all its plans.

Why Do I Need a VPN for Asia?

You need a VPN for Asia because the Internet in Asia is mostly restricted. A reliable VPN can unblock the Web for you, and the reasons why you need a VPN are as below:

• China’s Great Firewall: Unlike other countries, China’s Great Firewall is the most authoritarian censorship system. If you're traveling to China or surrounding areas, you need a VPN to bypass this geo-block system.
• Government Spying: Most Asian governments spy on their population. To stop government snooping and protect your privacy, you must encrypt your Web data using a VPN application.
• Social Media Restrictions: Depending on your location, social media platforms can be inaccessible. To easily access social media (as well as any other type of website), you need a VPN to overcome such restrictions.
• Accessing Local Content: To access local content, you need a VPN server in Asia for that specific location. That allows you to get an IP address of a certain country or location, giving you access to that country’s local Internet content.

Can I Use a Free VPN for Asia?

Yes, you can use a free VPN for Asia. However, we don’t recommend using one. The biggest reason is that free VPN is not truly “free,” as they sell your data to make a profit. 

Additionally, free VPNs will lack the necessary infrastructure to unblock most government restrictions. On top of that, you’ll see that free VPNs impose all kinds of limitations. For example, they limit your Web connection speed and put you on a strict data allowance. 

That said, free VPN services can be good only for quick Web browsing sessions. However, they’re far from usable when it comes to protecting your privacy on the Web. 

If you still want to try a free VPN for Asia, check out our central free VPN guide.

Final Thoughts

To truly unlock the Web in Asia, you need a VPN. There is no doubt that you can always browse the Internet without a VPN. But, doing so leaves you as a target to hackers and government snooping. You also need to consider the fact that some governments in Asia are strict when it comes to content restrictions. 

So, browsing the internet in Asia without a VPN is highly risky. That’s why we recommend NordVPN - the #1 Asia VPN. If you want a solution to protecting your privacy, unblocking websites, and making sure no one tracks you online, NordVPN should be your pick.

That’s all when it comes to the best VPN for Asia. If you have any questions, let us know via the comments section below. Thank you for reading!