NATIONAL HOLIDAYS IN VIETNAM IN 2021

By VIS team  Updated on Oct. 01, 2020

Like other countries, Vietnam has public holidays when all people get paid annual leave. Vietnam’s public holidays are administered by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam (MOLISA). Vietnamese people get from 13 to 17 day-leave per year. When a public holiday falls into a weekend – either Saturday or Sunday – the previous Friday or following Monday will be considered a paid holiday.

Check out official public holiday schedule for 2021 in order to have better preparation.

• New Year’s Day – Gregorian calendar (Tết Dương Lịch): Friday, January 1^st, 2021: 1 day off
• Vietnamese New Year is known as Tet holiday (Tết Nguyên Đán): It is taken place from Thursday, February 11^th, 2021 to Wednesday, February 17^th, 2021: 7 days off
• Hung Kings’ Festival (Giỗ tổ Hùng Vương): Saturday, April 24^th, 2021: 2 days off. However, it falls into Saturday, Vietnamese people will get an extra day off on Friday or the following Monday depending on the arrangement of each company
• Liberation Day/ Reunification Day (Ngày Thống Nhất Đất nước): Friday, April 30^th, 2021: 1 day off
• Labor Day (Ngày Quốc Tế Lao Động): Saturday, May 1^st, 2021: 1 day off. However, it falls into Saturday, Vietnamese people will get an extra day off on Friday or the following Monday depending on the arrangement of each company. The days off will be from May 1^st, 2021 till May 3^rd, 2021.
• National Day (Lễ Quốc Khánh): Thursday, September 2^nd, 2021: 2 days off. There are 2 options:

Option 1: 2 days off: 01 – 02 September 2021

Option 2: 2 days off: 02 – 03 September 2021

New Year’s Day – Gregorian calendar (Tết Dương Lịch)

New Year’s Days is the 1^st day of New Year following Gregorian calendar. New Year’s Day is a public holiday in all countries that observe the Gregorian calendar, with the exception of Israel. This makes it the world’s most widely observed public holiday. Vietnam also celebrates New Year’s Day on the 1^st of January as one of the main Vietnam Holidays.

Vietnamese New Year is known as Tet holiday (Tết Nguyên Đán):

Tet holiday is one of the most important public holidays in Vietnam in particular and in some Asian countries in general. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar.

The dates of Lunar New Year differ every year but it is generally taken place around late January or February, local people will be off from work to celebrate the holiday for 7 or more than 7 days depending on each year if any dates fall into weekend. Because of the fact that Vietnamese families are so close-knitted, Tet Holiday is considered the best occasion for family members to return home and get together.

During Tet holiday, the cities become less busy as people return to their hometowns celebrate with friends and family and many businesses are closed during Tet.

Hung Kings’ temple Festival (Giỗ tổ Hùng Vương): is one of the most sacred holidays in Vietnam.

The Hung Kings’ Temple Festival is held between Match 8^th – 11^th (Lunar Calendar) in honor of Hung King, who was the founder of the Hong Bang Dynasty in 2879 BC. The festival is taken place in Phu Tho Province, which is about 85km to the northwest of Hanoi. The ceremony may last for several days, but the most important day is March 10^th (Lunar Calendar) and local people also have a day off  on March 10^th as an official public holiday. The ceremony is to remember and pay tribute to the Hung Kings who are the founders and first emperors of the nation.

Liberation Day/ Reunification Day (Ngày Thống Nhất Đất nước): it is also known as Day of Southern Liberation for National Reunification. It becomes a public holiday in Vietnam, local people all around the country celebrate the reunification of the country which dated back to 1975 when the North and the South reunified into one: one country, one politics. It is also an opportunity to honor and commemorate the heroes who have dedicated themselves to the country’s independence and freedom.

 Labor Day (Ngày Quốc Tế Lao Động)

Like the other countries around the world, Vietnam also celebrates Labor Day, which is right after Reunification Day (April 30). As a result, the two public holidays are combined into one and local people often enjoy 2-4 days off. On this occasion, offices, government institutions, banks, firms, schools etc are closed.

National Day (Lễ Quốc Khánh): is a national holiday in Vietnam observed September 2^nd commemorating President Ho Chi Minh reading the Declarations of independence of Vietnam at Ba Đình Square in Hanoi on 2 September 1945.  Local people enjoy 2 days off to celebrate Vietnam’s national day. There are speeches, parades, and other activities across the country, with a large march in Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, where the Declaration of Independence was made. This is a very patriotic holiday with the national flag of Vietnam displayed everywhere and large posters of Ho Chi Minh (‘Uncle Ho’) adorning city walls.