Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan UCITS ETF (Dist) (VAPX.L)
Own a slice of leading companies across developed Asia-Pacific markets outside Japan, from tech giants to major banks.
Is Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan UCITS ETF (Dist) a good fund for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Own a slice of leading companies across developed Asia-Pacific markets outside Japan, from tech giants to major banks.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-15. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
This is a fund, so it moves with its whole basket (Other) - not any single company's news. One share having a bad day barely shows up here.
What does Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan UCITS ETF (Dist) do?
The moment you pick up a unit of this fund, your money is spread across hundreds of developed Asia-Pacific companies outside Japan, with heavy representation in places like Australia, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. It tracks the FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan Index, meaning it follows the performance of these specific regions. The ongoing charge is 0.15% a year, which works out to about £1.50 annually for every £1,000 invested. Because this is a distributing fund, any dividends collected from the companies are paid out to you as cash rather than being automatically rolled back into the fund.
Holds developed Asia-Pacific companies outside Japan, mainly in Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, paying dividends out as cash.
What's actually inside this fund?
Its 10 biggest holdings
- 1Samsung Electronics Co Ltd18.0%
- 2SK Hynix Inc17.2%
- 3BHP Group Ltd3.8%
- 4Commonwealth Bank of Australia3.5%
- 5Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Participating Preferred2.0%
- 6DBS Group Holdings Ltd1.8%
- 7SK Square1.8%
- 8AIA Group Ltd1.7%
- 9Westpac Banking Corp1.5%
- 10National Australia Bank Ltd1.5%
The top 10 add up to about 53% of the fund. A large chunk sits in just a handful of names - less spread than the total holding count suggests.
By sector
- Technology43%
- Financials21%
- Industrials10%
- Materials8%
- Consumer cyclical5%
- Real estate4%
- Healthcare3%
- Consumer staples2%
Top holdings and sector split from the fund's published data as of the figures date - they drift over time as the fund and the index change.
- Instant spread of money across multiple developed Asia-Pacific regions outside Japan
- Low ongoing cost of 0.15% a year
- Regular cash payments from dividends
- Simple one-fund exposure to major overseas sectors like technology and financial services
- The value will fall whenever the underlying Asian markets drop
- Heavy concentration in a few giant technology and financial companies
- Currency swings can affect returns for a UK investor
- Excludes Japan entirely, so it does not cover the whole of Asia
More in Other
What are the pros and cons of Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan UCITS ETF (Dist)?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Instant spread of money across multiple developed Asia-Pacific regions outside Japan
- Low ongoing cost of 0.15% a year
- Regular cash payments from dividends
- Simple one-fund exposure to major overseas sectors like technology and financial services
- The value will fall whenever the underlying Asian markets drop
- Heavy concentration in a few giant technology and financial companies
- Currency swings can affect returns for a UK investor
- Excludes Japan entirely, so it does not cover the whole of Asia
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.