VietNam: PM OK's 9-day Lunar New Year holiday (for State employees)

The Prime Minister, NGUYEN Tan Dung has signed off on a proposal that will grant State employees nine days off for Tet (Lunar New Year) and two other extended holidays commencing in 2015.

An announcement, on the government website Monday said, the official holiday will begin on 2015 February 15 and end on 2015 February 23. State employees will have to work on Saturday (2015 February 14) to make up the extra day off (Monday, 2015 February 16).

The labor ministry submitted two options for the Tet holiday - 7 days or 9 days - to the PM in November. The ministry recommended the 9-day option since it would create an uninterrupted holiday with a relatively even number of days off both before and after the holiday itself (4 and 5 days).

The 9-day option “received strong backing since it is in line with the Vietnamese custom and meets the needs of the workers,” the government website said.

As for the Gregorian (Western) New Year's holiday, the PM also permitted civil servants to take a day off on Friday, 2015 January 2 so they will have four consecutive days off between 2015 January 1 and 4. They will work on Saturday, 2015 December 27 to make up for their extra day off.

Another extended holiday, to celebrate what will be the Hung Kings' Temple Festival, which pays tribute to the traditional founders of the nation, and the Liberation Day on 2015 April 30 that marked the end of the American War in VietNam in 1975, state employees will have six days off -- from 2915 April 28 to 2015 May 3. They will work on Saturday, 2015 April 25, make-up time.

Last year, critics argued that a protracted Tet, VietNam's most important holiday, was no longer suitable for the modern economy of a country where the average person earns less than $15 a day.

DOAN Mau Diep, vice labor minister, said: “There have been concerns that the long holiday may affect businesses and the people as it is difficult to get anything done in many state agencies. In actuality, things will not appear much different given the low productivity by State employees.

Proponents of these holidays say VietNam and Singapore, a country well known for workaholics, share the lowest number of public holidays in Southeast Asia - 11 days, whilst Cambodians enjoy 28 days off, Malaysians and the Filipinos have 21 days, Thais 18 days, or Laotians 13 days.

As for the holiday in late April what the government is doing is to actually extend what is in fact a 3-day holiday to a 5-day holiday with the extra Saturday workday.

“For many businesses, especially manufacturing, to actually open and close twice or three times in a week is very troublesome so many factory owners would support this idea of having a full week and making up time by working two Saturdays or Sundays,” he said.

Critics argue, however, that in a country where labor productivity is among the lowest in the Asia – Pacific region - according to the International Labour Organisation  - any expansion of holiday days should be spread throughout the year.

“Basically one week to get prepared (so not much got done), one week for the holidays, and one week to recover (and not much got done),” one Foreigner wag suggested.

In fact, extended vacations reduce the opportunity for certain classes of government employees to enrich themselves as they cannot call upon businesses to collect their tithings.