A drying method for removing free water resided on electronic parts such as semiconductors, liquid-crystal display devices and printed wiring boards, optical parts such as lenses and prisms, and precision instrument parts such as gears and lead frames having been subjected to advanced cleaning, surface treatments, etc. and to an apparatus therefor. After an object to be dried (A) is placed in a vessel (1), the air present in the inner space of the vessel (1) is replaced with a heated vapor to heat the object to be dried (A) with the heated vapor, and the introduction of the heated vapor is stopped to cool the inner space of the vessel (1) in such a state that the vessel (1) is sealed from the outer air, followed by introduction of a dry gas to the vessel (1). The vessel (1) has a heated vapor introduction pipe (4), a cooling section (8) for cooling the inner space of the vessel (1), a condensate discharge pipe (14) and a dry gas introduction pipe (7). The vessel also has a holder (11) for holding the object to be dried thereon, which thermally insulate the cooling section (8) from the object to be dried (A).