Ministry of Interior says there is no plan to swap holidays to create a 9-day break for Hung Kings' Day and the 30 April–1 May holidays in 2026

At a press briefing on April 3 covering the 2026 Occupational Safety Month and updates on the 2025 accident situation, the Ministry of Interior said there will be no change to the working-day schedule to create a nine-day holiday period around Hung Kings’ Festival (10th day of the 3rd lunar month), Victory Day on April 30, and International Workers’ Day on May 1.

Vu Trong Binh, Director of the Department of Employment, stated that the schedule will not deviate from the plan already published. He noted that the 2026 holiday schedule was approved by the Government and that the Ministry of Interior issued a notice in October 2025. The plan was developed under the Labor Code and after consultation with ministries, agencies, and relevant levels.

Key dates and holiday structure

Hung Kings’ Festival falls on Sunday, April 26. Under the applicable rules, it will be compensated with Monday, April 27, extending the break to three days from April 25 to April 27. After the holiday, workers return to normal work on April 28–29, before entering the next holiday period.

For April 30 (Victory Day) and May 1 (International Workers’ Day), workers receive two official days off, plus two weekend days. This results in four days off from Thursday, April 30 to Sunday, May 3. The schedule applies to civil servants, public employees, and state sector workers.

Coverage for private-sector workers and workplace planning

Private-sector workers follow the Labor Code and the agreement between employers and employees. The briefing also noted that some universities have proactively published swapped schedules to help faculty and students travel home or plan in advance. Some enterprises are also planning day swaps to observe two extended holidays totaling nine days.

Legal basis for annual public holidays

Under the 2019 Labor Code, workers currently have 11 public holidays and are entitled to paid leave during the year. The listed holidays are:

• New Year’s Day (1 day)
• Lunar New Year (5 days)
• Hung Kings’ Festival (1 day)
• Victory Day (1 day)
• International Workers’ Day (1 day)
• National Day (2 days)

If any of these holidays coincide with weekly rest days, compensatory leave is granted on the next day. Each year, the Prime Minister decides the specific days off based on actual conditions.

Additional days for foreign workers

Foreign workers in Vietnam, in addition to the holidays above, receive one extra day for their traditional Lunar New Year and one extra day for their own national independence day.