The holiday schedule must be very close to reality
Information related to the holiday schedule for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day and the April 30 - May 15 holiday is receiving much attention, especially before the proposal to swap compensatory holidays, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bang Tuyen - Chairwoman of the grassroots Trade Union of Indian Ocean One Member Limited Liability Company (Can Tho), said that currently businesses only have a common holiday schedule according to the administrative block, while the production block must wait close to the time to be able to arrange specifically.
According to Ms. Tuyen, the specific nature of production depends heavily on input materials, so scheduling work and holidays cannot be decided early.
Raw materials, especially seafood, must be processed immediately by harvest time, and cannot be delayed or done earlier than planned. Therefore, the production schedule must be very close to reality," she said.
Therefore, if there is a plan to swap compensatory holidays to extend the holiday, businesses can still proactively balance, but it will depend on the order situation and raw material sources at that time.
Usually, businesses still implement the holiday schedule according to State regulations. However, in years when holidays are close, the company can also flexibly arrange for employees to take continuous leave if production conditions permit.
Research to adjust regulations in a more flexible direction
Ms. Ho Thi Kim Ngan - Deputy Head of the Labor Relations Department (Vietnam General Confederation of Labor), said that from the reality at enterprises, many opinions have proposed a plan to swap holidays, especially for workers working on Saturdays.
The swap will help workers have better rest time and regenerate labor capacity. If there is no swap, workers in the enterprise will take 2 days off for the ancestral death anniversary (Sunday, April 26 and Monday, April 27), then go to work for another 2 days, then take 2 days off on April 30 - May 1, then return to work for 1 Saturday (May 2) and then take another day off on Sunday, causing the holiday to be divided" - Ms. Ho Thi Kim Ngan analyzed.
Meanwhile, if reasonably exchanged, workers may have longer holidays, convenient for living and health recovery. However, according to the provisions of the Labor Code, this exchange plan is not feasible.
In the official dispatch of the Ministry of Home Affairs to ministries, branches, and localities on the holiday schedule for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day April 30 and International Labor Day May 1, the Ministry said that the holiday schedule is implemented in accordance with the provisions of the 2019 Labor Code.
Currently, there is no policy to adjust the holiday schedule and the Ministry of Home Affairs has not proposed a plan to swap working days to extend the holiday. Therefore, there is no plan to swap to have 9 consecutive days off during this occasion" - the official dispatch stated clearly.
From practical implementation, Ms. Ho Thi Kim Ngan believes that it is time to study adjusting regulations in a more flexible direction, instead of being "rigid" as at present.
It is necessary to consider regulations to open up, allowing businesses and trade unions to negotiate to arrange holiday schedules suitable to the production situation and the rest needs of workers" - she proposed.
She also emphasized that the holiday schedule between the State sector and the business sector is actually interconnected, interacting with each other. The holiday schedules of the two sectors seem unrelated, but in reality affect each other.
Announcing early holiday schedules right from the beginning of the year is necessary, helping businesses proactively plan production, and at the same time contributing to stimulating consumer demand and tourism. In addition, the development of holiday schedules needs to have exchange and coordination between management agencies and businesses to ensure harmony of interests.
From the reality of the 2026 holiday schedule, Ms. Ho Thi Kim Ngan proposed that when amending the Labor Code, it is necessary to supplement regulations allowing more flexibility in arranging holidays and compensatory leave.
Recently, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor conducted a survey of workers' opinions through social networks with a plan to arrange compensatory days off for the Hung Kings Commemoration Day 2026, including: No swap; Changing April 27 to April 29 for a 5-day long holiday; Changing April 27 to May 2 for workers to work 6 days a week with 4 consecutive days off; Other plans.
After a short time, about 70,000 opinions participated in the voting. Among them, 62% of opinions supported the option of swapping compensatory holidays, 21.68% of respondents expressed their view of not wanting to swap holiday schedules and 16.46% maintained a neutral attitude.
