Vietnam weighs 2 options for 2027 Lunar New Year holiday

Under the first option, civil servants and public employees would take the standard five-day Tet holiday, including two days before the Lunar New Year (Tet) and three days afterward.

As two weekly rest days would coincide with the official holiday period, employees would receive two compensatory days off, resulting in a seven-day break from February 4 to 10, 2027.

The second option would also provide five official holiday days, consisting of one day before Tet and four days after.

The ministry has proposed swapping the working day on Friday, February 12, with Saturday, February 27, allowing public-sector workers to enjoy a continuous 10-day holiday from February 5 to 14, 2027.

The ministry said the first option was preferable because it would allow people working away from their hometowns more time to travel, shop and prepare for the country’s most important annual holiday.

Meanwhile, the second option could concentrate travel demand into a shorter period, potentially increasing pressure on transportation networks, particularly in major cities and at key transport hubs.

For private-sector businesses, employers may choose one of three holiday schedules for their employees, ranging from one to three days off before Tet, with the remaining days taken after it.

Employers are required to notify employees of the selected holiday arrangement at least 30 days in advance.

Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet, is Vietnam’s most important and widely celebrated holiday.

The festival marks the beginning of the lunar calendar year and is traditionally a time for family reunions, ancestral worship and cultural festivities.

The holiday period typically triggers one of the world’s largest annual travel rushes, as millions of Vietnamese leave major cities to return to their hometowns.

Demand for air, rail and road transport usually surges in the weeks leading up to Tet, while businesses and factories often scale back operations during the holiday.

In recent years, the Vietnamese government has sought to balance workers’ demand for longer holiday breaks with concerns over economic activity and transportation congestion.

Extended Tet holidays are generally welcomed by workers and tourism operators, while businesses often weigh the impact of longer production stoppages.

The 2027 Lunar New Year will fall on February 6, marking the start of the Year of the Goat under the traditional lunar calendar.