diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/73456-let-vault-lookup-output-string.yml b/changelogs/fragments/73456-let-vault-lookup-output-string.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5d079a81095
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/73456-let-vault-lookup-output-string.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - the unvault lookup plugin returned a byte string. Now returns a real string.
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/unvault.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/unvault.py
index 152dc95ee3f..3712ba5be43 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/unvault.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/unvault.py
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 actual_file = self._loader.get_real_file(lookupfile, decrypt=True)
                 with open(actual_file, 'rb') as f:
                     b_contents = f.read()
-                ret.append(b_contents)
+                ret.append(to_text(b_contents))
             else:
                 raise AnsibleParserError('Unable to find file matching "%s" ' % term)
 
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/unvault/aliases b/test/integration/targets/unvault/aliases
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..765b70da796
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/unvault/aliases
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+shippable/posix/group2
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/unvault/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/unvault/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a0f97b4bc17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/unvault/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+- hosts: localhost
+  tasks:
+    - set_fact:
+        unvaulted: "{{ lookup('unvault', 'vault') }}"
+    - debug:
+        msg: "{{ unvaulted }}"
+    - assert:
+        that:
+            - "unvaulted == 'foo: bar\n'"
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/unvault/password b/test/integration/targets/unvault/password
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d97c5eada5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/unvault/password
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+secret
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/unvault/runme.sh b/test/integration/targets/unvault/runme.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..df4585e3221
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/unvault/runme.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -eux
+
+
+ansible-playbook --vault-password-file password main.yml
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/unvault/vault b/test/integration/targets/unvault/vault
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..828d3696baf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/unvault/vault
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+$ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.1;AES256
+33386337343963393533343039333563323733646137636162346266643134323539396237646333
+3663363965336335663161656236616532346363303832310a393264356663393330346137613239
+34633765333936633466353932663166343531616230326161383365323966386434366431353839
+3838623233373231340a303166666433613439303464393661363365643765666137393137653138
+3631