Vietnam Approves Seven-Day Lunar New Year Holiday for 2027

Vietnam has officially approved a seven-day Lunar New Year holiday for 2027, rejecting a longer 10-day alternative while establishing fixed public break schedules for civil servants nationwide.

Approval of the 2027 Lunar New Year and National Day Schedules

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra approved the holiday calendar under Document No. 10065/VPCP-KGVX following a proposal from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Vietnam.vn reported. The schedule covers administrative agencies, public service units, political organizations, and enterprises. For the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, the break spans the 28th day of the 12th lunar month in the Year of the Horse through the fifth day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Goat. Tet falls on February 6, 2027, with employees returning to work on February 11.

Alongside the Tet break, the government approved a separate one-day holiday for Vietnamese Culture Day on November 24, 2026, as reported by Thông tấn xã Việt Nam (TTXVN). For National Day in 2027, civil servants and public employees will receive a four-consecutive-day break from September 2 to September 5.

Rejection of the Extended Ten-Day Break Option

The Ministry of Home Affairs had initially floated a 10-day holiday option running from February 5 to February 14, 2027, which would have required swapping an additional working day, VnExpress International reported. By comparison, Vietnam observed a nine-day Tet break for the previous holiday cycle in 2026.

State administrative agencies and public units must arrange staffing duties during these breaks to maintain uninterrupted operations and public services, according to government directives cited by TTXVN. Ministries and local authorities are instructed to stabilize market prices, balance labor supply, and ensure adequate supplies of goods before, during, and after the holidays.

Implementation Rules for Private Businesses and Employers

Private employers retain autonomy in setting schedules based on their operational conditions, provided workers receive no fewer days off than mandated by the Labor Code. Businesses must notify employees of their chosen arrangements at least 30 days in advance. For the 2027 Tet holiday, private companies may choose from three distinct options:

• One day off at the end of the Year of the Horse and four days at the beginning of the Year of the Goat (February 5 to February 11)
• Two days off at the end of the old lunar year and three days at the beginning of the new year (February 4 to February 10)
• Three days off at the end of the old year and two days at the beginning of the new year (February 3 to February 9)

For National Day, private employers can give workers September 2 off alongside either September 1 or September 3. While the Ministry of Home Affairs encourages businesses to adopt the same seven-day Tet and four-day National Day schedules used by civil servants, companies retain the flexibility to implement more favorable arrangements for their workers.