The flexural vibration characteristics of a sandwich beam system with a partially inserted viscoelastic layer were quantitatively studied using the finite element analysis in combination with the sine-sweep experiment. Asymmetric mode shapes of the flexural vibration were visualized by holographic interferometry, which agreed with those obtained by the finite element simulation. Effects of the length and the thickness of the partial viscoelastic layer on the system loss factor (η$\_$s/) and resonant frequency (f$\_$r/) were significantly large for both the symmetric and asymmetric modes of the beam system.