The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) has proposed a nine-day holiday for the upcoming Lunar New Year, locally known as Tet.

MOLISA said civil servants and government employees would not be required to work over the weekend before the holiday to compensate for four additional days off, as two days of the Tet holiday adjoin the weekend.

Under the Labour Code, employees are given 5 days off work for the traditional New Year.

The nine-day Tet holiday will begin on February 6 and end on February 14, or from the 28th day of the 12th lunar month to the 7th day of the first lunar month. The first day of the 2016 Lunar New Year will fall on February 8.

Under the proposal, civil servants and government employees are also expected to enjoy three days off each for the New Year of the Gregorian calendar, the commemoration of the Hung Kings and the National Day.

In addition, employees will be entitled to four days off to celebrate the Southern Liberation Day and May Day.

Since 2010, the Prime Minister has approved working at the weekend when there is a gap between the weekend and the holiday and designating the gap as the national holiday.

Nhan Dan