Singapore has surpassed Hong Kong for the first time to place third in the rankings of Asian cities with the best quality of living, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Citing the latest annual liveability report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), it said the Lion City climbed 11 spots to the 35th thanks to its high education quality and criteria while Hong Kong dropped two places to the 45th.

Tokyo and Osaka, two cities of Japan, were the first and second most liveable cities in Asia. They placed 13th and 14th in the global list of 140 cities surveyed.

Melbourne of Australia topped the EIU ranking for the seventh successive year, followed by Vienna (Austria) and Vancouver (Canada), according to the report.

-- BERNAMA