Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a 7-day Lunar New Year break after reviewing proposals made by the ministries of labor and social affairs last month, which included a 10-day option.
Phuc’s decision means that most members of the public will have seven days off for the New Year holiday from January 26 to February 1. During this period, government offices and state-owned companies will close, as well as schools and other businesses in the country.
The labor ministry proposed the 10-day option last month and a survey by VnExpress found that 81 percent of the 16,500 respondents favored a long break. The seven-day break may be too short for many, especially after the nine-day holidays the country has enjoyed for Tet over the past five years.
PM Phuc has yet to decide on the break for the Hung Kings’ Festival, which commemorates the kings considered to be the founding fathers of Vietnam. The home affairs ministry favored the longer option of a four-day break that starts on Thursday, April 6 and will run through the weekend. Workers will have to make up for the Friday off on the Saturday of the week before or after. The other option was a single day on April 6, or the 10th day of the third lunar month.
If the PM approves the longer option, Vietnam will have a total of 21 holidays in 2017.
The remaining holidays approved for 2017 include: three days off for the New Year holiday from December 31, 2016 to January 2, 2017; four days for Reunification Day and Labor Day from April 29 to May 2; and three days for Independence Day from September 2-4.
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