Vietnam's 2026 Holiday Calendar Fact-Check: Exact Tet Dates and False Rumors Debunked
Official leave schedules in Vietnam are governed by Article 112 of the 2019 Labor Code, which guarantees workers five paid days off for the Lunar New Year. The exact composition of those five days, whether taking one day before Tết and four days after, or two days before and three days after, is drafted annually by MOLISA before final ratification by the Prime Minister.
For 2026, the calendar creates a natural bridge. With Mùng 1 falling on a Tuesday, the standard 5-day statutory window runs from Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20, 2026.
Because civil service agencies and public institutions operate on a Monday-through-Friday workweek, the five official public holiday days connect directly with the two weekends flanking them. Civil servants automatically receive:
- Pre-holiday weekend: Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15
- Statutory Tết holiday: Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20
- Post-holiday weekend: Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22
This arrangement establishes a continuous 9-day nationwide shutdown for government ministries, tax bureaus, public school systems, and foreign visa processing centers.
Private enterprises retain flexibility under the law. Employers can choose a 1-day-before/4-days-after or 2-days-before/3-days-after schedule, provided they notify employees at least 30 days in advance. Most industrial parks adopt the state-backed 9-day window to avoid the administrative chaos of opening factories for a fragmented single shift.
