Vietnam 2026 public holiday guide
Vietnam’s public holidays include New Year’s Day, Tết (Lunar New Year), Hung Kings Commemoration Day, Liberation Day (30 April), Labour Day and National Day (2 September). Statutory Tết days are limited; plants, logistics and counters often stop earlier and restart in waves. Plan more than a week of downtime and ask each factory for a written shutdown notice.
Lunar New Year’s Day 2026 is Tuesday 17 February, the same lunar date as mainland China. The restart curve is not the same. When both sides pause, South China–Vietnam freight freezes. Finish shipments and payments in early February. Do not treat the first Monday back as full capacity.
30 April plus 1 May is a spring travel peak. Hung Kings Day (about 27 March 2026) is cultural more than a logistics freeze. 2 September is Independence Day and a milder hit than Tết. Many contracts already treat Tết as a delay event; if yours does not, add the clause before January.
Confirm exact leave windows with official Vietnamese notices and with the specific plant or carrier, not with a regional “SEA calendar”. Keep the first week back for catch-up only. Customs and banks are clearing a backlog, and a new hire class often starts the same week the line is trying to recover.
Planning tips
- Finish shipments before Tết when possible.
- 30 April–1 May: busy spring getaway period.
- National Day: autumn short trips and ceremonies.
- Hung Kings Day: cultural commemorations.
Vietnam 2026 public holiday table
This 2026 view lists 8 public holiday dates for Vietnam. The earliest entry is 2026-01-01 (New Year's Day, Thu) and the latest is 2026-09-02 (National Day). The longest consecutive block in the dataset is about 3 days (2026-02-17–2026-02-19). The table below is fully readable without JavaScript.
| Date | Weekday | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Thu | New Year's Day |
| 2026-02-17 | Tue | Spring Festival |
| 2026-02-18 | Wed | Spring Festival |
| 2026-02-19 | Thu | Spring Festival |
| 2026-03-27 | Fri | Hung Kings Commemoration Day |
| 2026-04-30 | Thu | Liberation Day |
| 2026-05-01 | Fri | Labour Day |
| 2026-09-02 | Wed | National Day |
Note: Compiled from public notices for planning. Confirm critical dates with official sources.
Tết lasts longer than the gazette
Vietnam’s public-holiday spine is short: New Year’s Day, Tết, Hung Kings Day, 30 April Liberation / Reunification Day, 1 May Labour Day and 2 September National Day. Statutory Tết days are limited — this site’s 2026 data covers 17–19 February — but plants, logistics and counters often stop earlier and restart in waves. Plan more than a week of downtime, especially in manufacturing.
Underestimating that gap is the classic procurement error. Many contracts already treat Tết as a delay event; if yours does not, add written shutdown and restart dates to the PO in January. Banks and trade windows close; letters of credit, customs and inspections pile into the first week back. Do not treat the first Monday back as full capacity.
Vietnam has no mainland-style weekend-swap machine that builds a seven-day block. On the ground, the factory HR notice is often more authoritative than a tourism calendar.
The 2026 skeleton: Tết first, late April second
New Year’s Day on Thursday 1 January is a short pause. The national event is lunar New Year: the first day falls on 17 February, same as China, with gazetted cover for 17–19 February. In practice many lines slow from early February and are still ramping in the first week back.
Hung Kings Day (27 March 2026) is cultural more than a logistics freeze. 30 April plus 1 May is the spring travel peak. National Day on 2 September closes offices; the supply-chain hit is milder than Tết.
- 1 January — New Year’s Day
- 17–19 February — Tết
- 27 March — Hung Kings Day
- 30 April — Liberation Day; 1 May — Labour Day
- 2 September — National Day
What Tết feels like on the ground
Tết is Vietnam’s largest family and mobility event. Pre-holiday transport out of the big cities tightens in a way that resembles China’s chunyun in scale, not in food, taboos or the day shops reopen. Square sticky rice cakes, peach blossoms or kumquats, ancestor rites and visits are the core; do not apply mainland “fifth-day reopening” folklore to Vietnamese counterparts.
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offices thin out early; industrial parks in Binh Duong, Bac Ninh and Hai Phong follow plant notices. Coaches, trains and domestic flights fill and rise in price about a week ahead. Supermarkets stock up; traditional markets pause; tourist sites may stay busy.
For visitors: heritage sites and islands often remain open, with thinner guide and restaurant rosters. For business visitors: do not book wet-ink meetings in mid-February unless the counterparty confirms in writing.
Late April and National Day
30 April plus 1 May is the second domestic travel peak. For manufacturing it is shorter than Tết but still a bad week for bilateral acceptance — especially when Thai Songkran has just ended and China’s Labour Day is starting.
Hung Kings Day is usually a one-day cultural pause. National Day is an office close with milder factory impact than Tết.
Colour them separately: Tết = hard gap; 30 April–1 May = travel and short shutdown; Hung Kings / National Day = one-day public pause. One “Vietnam” swatch hides the machinery.
Same lunar date as China, different roster
Dates align; leave length does not. Mainland China’s 2026 Spring Festival block runs to 23 February; Vietnamese plants may still be ramping up. When both sides pause, South China–Vietnam freight freezes. Finish shipments and payments in early February.
Keep the first week back for catch-up only. Customs and banks are clearing a backlog; lines are still waiting for people to return.
Teams that also cover Hong Kong: the SAR takes a short lunar block while Vietnamese plants may still be dark. Three calendars beat one “Asia New Year” row.
What closes, and where the work actually sits
Government counters, bank branches and schools close. Airports and ports usually keep core operations, with slower customs and inspection. Hotels, attractions and chain restaurants mostly stay open; family eateries and traditional markets pause heavily during Tết.
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi office rhythms differ from industrial parks. Export zones follow tenant notices, not whether the park gate lights are on.
Mobile payments usually work; counter openings, notarisation and licence renewals should avoid Tết and the 30 April–1 May window.
Plant, freight and contract actions that work
In January, collect a written restart date from each plant and attach it to the PO. Last sailing dates count backward from that restart, not from the gazette. LC presentation, QC bookings and inspection travel are safer from week two after restart.
If you cover Thailand and Vietnam together, treat April as a dual gap: Songkran first, then Liberation Day / Labour Day. Do not put dual-signature acceptance in the second half of April.
Remote coverage needs more than one “Asian holiday” colour. Split Tết, the spring long weekend and National Day, and note that factory calendars may outlast the gazette.
North–south rhythm: Hanoi, HCMC and the industrial parks
Vietnam’s holiday feel differs by region. Hanoi and the Red River Delta often treat the Tết pause as a more formal civic shutdown; Ho Chi Minh City and the southeast industrial corridor are pulled harder by export orders — some plants compress downtime, others must stretch it because workers have gone home to the centre and north. One “Vietnam is off” row cannot cover Binh Duong and Bac Ninh at once.
For quality and supply-chain teams, collect January restart dates by plant instance, not by city name. Inside HCMC alone, a downtown shared-service centre may be back quickly while a suburban footwear or electronics plant is still waiting for people to return. Book inspection flights from the restart notice, not from “the day after the gazette.”
Ports around Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City often keep limited operations through Tết, but trucking, brokers and inspection houses thin out — so the vessel can be there while the documents are not. Pull presentation and wire cut-offs to the last two working days before the holiday.
Remote coverage should split Hanoi and HCMC sites. Default to async for the two weeks around Tết; keep sync meetings only for decisions that truly block.
Payments, LCs and labour practice
Bank counters and some clearing rhythms slow around Tết. LC presentation, amendments and wires most often stick on the holiday edge. Write a hard “last presentation day before Tết,” and confirm holiday duty desks with issuing and presenting banks in January. Mobile banking will not clear every corporate step that needs an original document.
Employment contracts and union agreements may grant a longer Tết pause than the gazette. If a foreign firm rosters only to the national list while customer orders demand mid-holiday shifts, compliance and morale problems follow. Publish duty lists, compensation rules and transport plans early — not three days before.
When stacking China, Korea and Singapore colleagues, same Gregorian date ≠ same reachability. In 2026 the lunar first day aligns across several markets, but mainland leave is longer, Singapore takes two days, and Vietnamese plants may stretch both shoulders. Build the roster by site, not by a single “Asian New Year” knife-cut.
This page is not legal advice. Holiday pay, overtime and termination follow Vietnamese law, competent-authority guidance and the employment contract.
Pitfalls that keep repeating
Gazetted Tết days are not manufacturing downtime. Ask the plant.
Same lunar date as China does not mean the same leave length or restart curve.
Hung Kings Day is not a second Tết.
Week one back is for catch-up, not hard acceptance nodes.
Slide delivery dates on the plant’s calendar, not the signing entity’s. This page is a planning reference; labour detail follows Vietnamese law, competent authorities and employer notices.
- Get written restart dates from each plant
- Treat 30 April–1 May as a travel week
- Lock freight two weeks before the dual Lunar New Year pause
- Keep the first week back for catch-up only
- Slide dates on the plant calendar, not the signing entity’s
- Avoid dual Thai–Vietnam acceptance in late April
Cross-border planning notes
Vietnam’s Tết is the clearest manufacturing slowdown — plants often close longer than the official public days. It usually shares the lunar date with China’s Spring Festival but not the leave length.
Where these dates come from
Vietnam dates follow the Labour Code and government notices. Plant Tết downtime is a company fact; collect a written restart date.
Primary references for verification
- Vietnam Government News: proposed 2027 Tet break
- Vietnam Government News: 2026 holiday announcements
Vietnam FAQ
How long is official Tết, and how long do factories stop?
Statutory days are short; this site’s 2026 cover is 17–19 February. Company practice is longer — slowdown before, staggered restart after — often more than a week in manufacturing. Use each plant’s written notice and attach it to the PO in January.
Same day as China’s Spring Festival?
Yes for the lunar date in 2026 (17 February). Leave length differs: mainland China runs through 23 February; Vietnamese plants may stop earlier and ramp later. When both pause, finish South China–Vietnam shipments and payments in early February.
What is 30 April, and why is it paired with Labour Day?
Liberation / Reunification Day, often joined to 1 May as a spring long weekend and domestic travel peak. Shorter than Tết for manufacturing, but still a poor week for acceptance — especially right after Thai Songkran.
Should I plan Hung Kings Day as a long break?
Usually no. In 2026 it falls on 27 March. It is cultural more than a logistics freeze. Treat it as about a one-day pause, not a second Tết.
Do factories stop, and should the contract follow the gazette or the plant?
Most slow or stop; length varies. Follow the plant’s written notice. Statutory Tết is short; manufacturing downtime is a company fact. Collect restart dates in January and attach them to orders.
Can I clear customs and run acceptance in the first week back?
Expect queues and incomplete headcount. Put critical filings and full-team acceptance in week two; keep week one for catch-up and communication.
How do I roster a team that also covers Hong Kong?
Hong Kong’s lunar block is short; Vietnamese plants may still be dark. Do not use one “Asia New Year” row. Hong Kong finance may already be back while Vietnamese lines are still waiting for people.
How hard does National Day hit the supply chain?
Offices and most large firms close on 2 September; short-haul travel rises; factory downtime is usually far shorter than Tết. Plan a day to a long weekend, not a Spring Festival-scale gap — but still avoid same-day government-counter filings.
Is Tết downtime the same length in Hanoi and HCMC?
Not reliably. Northern civic and traditional employers often pause more neatly; southern export plants are pulled by orders and homecoming — some compress, some stretch. Schedule inspections and sailings from each plant’s written restart date, not from a city-wide assumption.
What is a safe LC presentation cut-off before Tết?
Treat the last two working days before the holiday as the safe cut-off, and confirm holiday desks with issuing and presenting banks in January. Mobile banking will not clear every step that needs an original; week one back can still queue.
How long is Tết?
Official public days are limited, but many businesses close longer in practice.
Do factories stop?
Most manufacturing slows or stops — confirm with suppliers early.
Same day as China’s Spring Festival?
Usually yes; leave length and customs differ.