The 44 cm Visible Telescope (VT) aboard the Space-based multi-band Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a dual-band (400–650 nm and 650–1000 nm) instrument designed to detect and characterize the optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and other high-energy transients. This paper presents the VT’s design, scientific objectives, observing strategies, and both space- and ground-based data processing pipelines, along with its first-year in-orbit performance. In-orbit commissioning tests confirm a sensitivity of 22.5 AB mag (300 s exposure), extendable to ∼24 AB mag through stacking. This performance enables the VT to monitor over 100 GRBs in its first year with a remarkable ∼80% detection rate for SVOM/ECLAIRS-triggered bursts and ToO-observed bursts from other missions (e.g., Swift, Fermi, Einstein Probe), outperforming Swift/UVOT’s ∼40% detection rate. Beyond its high detection efficiency, the VT played a key role in identifying high-redshift GRBs-most notably GRB 250314A (z = 7.3). Its deep upper limits at long wavelengths (up to 1 μm) were pivotal in guiding follow-up observations with large ground-based telescopes, enabling crucial near-infrared detections for this burst. With its rapid response, deep sensitivity, and real-time processing capabilities, the VT is a key instrument for GRB research in SVOM-era, enabling critical studies of GRB optical afterglows, circumburst environments, relativistic jet dynamics, and the origins of optically dark bursts.