People enjoy the 2026 New Year holiday near Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — With the 2026 new year holiday now past, Việt Nam’s remaining public holidays will give workers a total of 21 days off, with individual breaks ranging from three to nine days, according to official regulations.

Under the 2019 Labour Code, employees are entitled to 11 paid public holidays each year. These comprise one day for New Year’s Day on January 1, five days for Tết (Lunar New Year), one day for the Hùng Kings’ Commemoration Day on the 10th day of the third lunar month, one day for the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day on April 30, one day for International Workers’ Day on May 1 and two days for National Day on September 2 and one adjacent day before or after.

If any of these holidays fall on a weekend, workers are entitled to a compensatory day off on the following working day.

Each year, based on actual circumstances, the Prime Minister decides the specific holiday schedule in line with regulations.

The nine-day Tết holiday is the longest break of the year, combining five statutory holidays with four weekend days. In 2026, it runs from February 14 to 22 for public employees and civil servants.

For those outside the public sector, employers may arrange the five statutory Tết holidays by allocating between one and three days at the end of the current lunar year, with the remaining days taken at the start of the new lunar year.

In April, as the Hùng Kings’ Commemoration Day falls on a Sunday, public offices that do not work weekends will have three days off from April 25 to 27.

Three days later, the combined holiday for the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day and International Workers’ Day will last four days from April 30 to May 3, bringing together two official holidays and the weekend.

The final public holiday of 2026 is the National Day break, which will last five consecutive days from August 29 to September 2 for civil servants.

This period includes two weekend days, two statutory holidays and one day swapped with a weekly rest day. As a result, public employees will work on Saturday, August 22, to make up for the day off on Monday, August 31.

For workers in the non-public sector, the National Day holiday includes September 2 and one additional day either before or after.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said public agencies applying the official holiday schedule must arrange duty rosters and ensure service delivery in line with regulations. Officials and civil servants should be assigned to handle unexpected or urgent matters that may arise during the holidays.

Units that do not follow a fixed Saturday–Sunday workweek will arrange holiday schedules based on their specific working plans, in compliance with regulations.

The ministry recommended that private businesses apply the official holiday periods for Tết and National Day, particularly arrangements that are more favourable to workers.

Employees must be informed of holiday arrangements at least 30 days before they take effect. — VNS