Under this proposal, the ministry would be responsible for officially announcing the finalized schedule by Dec. 31 of the preceding year.
This change is part of a draft law that amends the Labor Code and several other laws. Currently, the prime minister only sets the specific schedules for the Lunar New Year (Tet) and National Day following proposals from the ministry, while the dates for all other holidays are fixed by law. This amendment would expand the prime minister's authority to cover every holiday period.
Vietnam currently has 11 official public holidays, including one day for New Year's Day, five days for the Lunar New Year, one day for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, two days for Reunification Day and International Labor Day (April 30-May 1), and two days for National Day.
Veterans sits along Van Cao Street, waiting to watch a military parade to celebrate Vietnam's 80th National Day in Hanoi, Sept. 1, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Hang
Despite the rigid legal framework, public holidays such as the April 30-May 1 break have, in practice, been extended in some years through flexible coordination mechanisms.
