Propose to add 2 more days off for National Day to extend the holidays during the year

Responding to the press at a conference on the situation of workers on October 8, Mr. Ngo Duy Hieu, Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, said that although he wanted the Lunar New Year holiday to be extended, he did not propose adding more days off for this occasion because there are already 5 official days, plus the weekend to extend it to 7-9 days depending on the year.

Meanwhile, adding two more holidays on the occasion of National Day on September 2nd will spread out the holidays more evenly throughout the year, with each holiday being a few months apart. Workers will be able to rest and restore their energy. They will have more options to return to their hometowns, travel, and let their children visit relatives before the new school year begins.

Mr. Hieu gave an example: China has 7 days off for National Day, while other countries in the region have an average of 15-17 days off for Tet each year. Meanwhile, Vietnam's official 11-day holiday is low, still leaving a lot of room.

"In the long term, we need to aim for more National Day holidays. If possible, we will create opportunities for workers to take their children to school on the opening day of September 5. This simple thing is the dream of many workers," he said, adding that a female worker in the South cried during a conference to seek opinions on amending the Labor Code in 2019. Many female workers want to take their children to the opening day of school but cannot because of early and assembly-line work schedules.

The proposal to add a public holiday on National Day has been pursued by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor for the past 5 years. The first time was in 2019 when participating in amending the Labor Code, this agency proposed to add 3 public holidays because at that time Vietnam only had 10 official holidays. However, when the law was passed, the number of official holidays was only increased by one, before or after National Day (September 1 or September 3) depending on the year chosen by the Government.

At the Trade Union Congress at the end of 2023, this agency continued to propose that the competent authority increase 2 more days off so that the National Day holiday lasts until September 5. The goal is to create conditions for workers to take their children to the opening ceremony, and for long, even holidays spaced 3-4 months apart to help them rest while not reducing working hours to less than 48 hours per week.

Vietnam has 11 official holidays including New Year's Day (1 day), Lunar New Year (5 days), Hung Kings' Commemoration Day (1 day), Reunification Day and International Labor Day (2 days), National Day (2 days). According to the union, the number of holidays in Vietnam is about 5-6 days lower than the average in Southeast Asia and the world.