On the morning of October 21, Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Hai, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister, presented to the National Assembly a bill amending and supplementing provisions of the Labor Code, the Law on Archives, the Law on Gender Equality, the Law on Red Cross Activities and the Law on Employment.

The Government proposed introducing a deadline for announcing annual public holiday schedules under the Labor Code, while clarifying the responsibility of the Minister of Home Affairs for issuing these announcements.

Government seeks clearer rules for announcing public holidays

Under the draft legislation, the Prime Minister would determine the specific dates for the Lunar New Year (Tet) and National Day holidays each year based on actual circumstances.

Following the Prime Minister's decision, the Minister of Home Affairs would be required to announce the following year's public holiday schedule before September 30.

Currently, Clause 3, Article 112 of the Labor Code gives the Prime Minister the authority to determine the specific dates for the Lunar New Year and National Day holidays but does not establish a deadline for announcing the following year's schedule.

The responsibility for announcing annual public holiday schedules has already been assigned to the Minister of Home Affairs under a decree governing the delegation and decentralization of authority in the home affairs sector.

The Government now proposes incorporating that responsibility directly into the Labor Code, together with the annual September 30 deadline.

According to the drafting agency, the amendment is intended to ensure consistency and coherence among regulations governing the delegation of authority.

Compared with the version previously submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee, the draft has been revised to clarify that the Minister of Home Affairs would announce holiday schedules based on decisions made by the Prime Minister.

November 24 paid holiday could take effect immediately

Another Government proposal would add Vietnamese Culture Day, observed annually on November 24, to the Labor Code's list of public holidays.

Employees would be entitled to one day off with full pay.

Minister Nguyen Tien Hai said the National Assembly had already adopted a resolution designating November 24 as Vietnamese Culture Day and granting employees a paid day off.

However, the holiday has not yet been incorporated into the Labor Code.

The proposed amendment aims to harmonize existing regulations and institutionalize national policies on Vietnamese cultural development.

The draft also proposes removing labor outsourcing services from the list of conditional business sectors.

Under amendments to Articles 52, 53 and 54, the current licensing system would be replaced by a mechanism requiring businesses to register their security deposits and notify authorities of their operations.

The Government proposes that the amended law take effect on March 1, 2027.

However, the provision adding Vietnamese Culture Day as a paid public holiday is proposed to take effect immediately upon its adoption by the National Assembly.

The seven-article bill is being developed under an expedited legislative procedure.

Amendments to the five laws are also intended to support administrative restructuring, the operation of Vietnam's two-tier local government system, greater decentralization and delegation of authority, and reductions in administrative procedures and business conditions.

Minister Hai said that during 2025-2026, the Government issued resolutions and decrees to implement certain measures under delegated legislative authority.

These were temporary arrangements pending amendments to the relevant laws.

The legislation therefore needs to be revised to ensure consistent and uninterrupted administration, without creating legal gaps from March 1, 2027.

Lawmakers raise proposal for July 27 paid holiday

Presenting the bill's appraisal report, Nguyen Dac Vinh, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Social Affairs, said the committee supported adding November 24 to the Labor Code as a paid public holiday.

The appraisal report also noted that some opinions called for studying the possibility of designating July 27, War Invalids and Martyrs Day, as an additional public holiday with full pay.

The proposal remains under consideration and has not been adopted as part of the legislation.

Beyond public holiday provisions, the committee broadly supported removing labor outsourcing from the list of conditional business sectors and replacing the licensing requirement with a notification mechanism.

However, it recommended strengthening post-registration inspection and supervision to prevent regulatory gaps.

The committee also called for clarification of the joint liability of companies using outsourced workers when labor outsourcing providers violate regulations or become unable to pay wages or make social insurance contributions.

Thanh Hue