Vietnam’s premier approves 9-day break for 2026 Lunar New Year holiday

According to the decision issued by the Government Office on Monday evening, civil servants and public employees will enjoy a nine-day Tet holiday from the 27th day of the last lunar month of the Year of the Snake through the sixth day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Horse.

The 2026 Tet break includes five official days off as stipulated by the Labor Code, plus four weekend days.

For the National Day holiday in 2026, civil servants and public employees would be off from August 29 through September 2.

This five-day break consists of two official public holidays, two weekend days, and one adjusted workday – specifically, Monday, August 31 would be a day off, with the workday moved to Saturday, August 22.

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra will notify administrative bodies, public service units, political and social organizations, as well as enterprises and workers, in accordance with regulations.

Agencies and units are instructed to arrange on-call staff and maintain operations to ensure uninterrupted public service during the holiday period.

The government encouraged all organizations, businesses, and individuals to actively adopt measures to boost production, business activities, and social development throughout and after the holiday periods.

The government leader emphasized the importance of ensuring stable supply of goods and services, maintaining price and market stability, promoting economic growth, practicing thrift, and preventing wastefulness.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had previously proposed that enterprises base their holiday schedules on operational needs.

For the Tet holiday, firms may choose among three options: one day off at the end of the Year of the Snake and four days at the start of the Year of the Horse, two days before Tet and three days after, or three days before and two days after.

For the National Day holiday, employers can allow workers to take September 2 off along with either the day before or the day after.

Businesses must announce their holiday plans at least 30 days in advance.

If a public holiday falls on a weekend, a compensatory day off will be arranged on the following workday as per current regulations.

Employers are encouraged to align their holiday schedules with the public sector or offer more favorable arrangements for their employees.