Extend National Day holiday to 4 days: Vietnam labor confederation

Vietnam should extend its National Day holiday from two to four days, says the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, which heads all labor unions in the country.

Currently, the holiday comprises Independence Day (September 2) and one day before or after the date. Instead, the occasion should be a four-day (September 2-5) holiday, allowing workers to take their children to school on September 5, the first day of a new school year, the confederation suggests.

Announcing the proposal at the Saturday session of its 13th congress held December 1-3 in Hanoi, the labor confederation noted that Vietnam’s annual holiday calendar has only 11 days, comprising one for the Gregorian New Year (January 1); five for the Lunar New Year (Tet Holiday); one for the Hung Kings’ commemoration (March 10 of lunar calendar); two for National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1); and two for National Day holiday (September 2).

This is five or six days less than other countries in Southeast Asia and beyond, it said.

The confederation also made recommendations regarding the minimum wage; working hours and rest; state management of employers, especially regarding social insurance payment and handling of occupational accidents; rights and benefits of employees in dissolved businesses; and establishment of employees’ organizations.

Vietnam’s third quarter unemployment rate remained unchanged from the second quarter at 2.3%, or 1.08 million people, according to the General Statistics Office.

Overall, the January-September unemployment rate was 2.28%, down 0.07 percentage points year-on-year. The rate was 2.73% in urban areas and 2% in rural areas.

The country’s workforce increased by 546,000, or 1.47% year-on-year, to 52.32 million. The rate of skilled workers was 26.8%, up 0.6 percentage points.

The average monthly income of a worker was VND7 million ($288) in January-September, up VND451,000 ($18.6) or 6.8% year-on-year. The figure was VND8.6 million ($353.8) in urban areas and VND6.1 million ($251) in rural areas.