Vietnamese authorities are debating making changes to the nation's labor law in 2019.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam offers just 10 public holidays, meaning it has the fewest public holidays of any country in Southeast Asia. Cambodia comes first with 28 holidays, followed by the Philippines (19), Thailand (16) and Indonesia (16). This number also makes Vietnam among the countries with the least public holidays in the world.
Vietnam currently has a statutory minimum of 12 paid leave days, which is higher than Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines yet lower than Cambodia and Laos. Officially, the minimum full-time work hours per week is set at 48 hours.
These numbers, however, may soon change. The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has proposed adding three more public holidays to Vietnam's annual calendar while decreasing expected weekly working hours from 48 to 44, Tuoi Tre reports. The three new holidays would include Family Day (June 23) and an additional day off for both the lunar new year and Independence Day.
The proposal to add three more public holidays has received positive feedback so far, although some also have concerns. Vu Quang Tho, director of the Institute of Workers and Trade Unions, thinks the proposal will benefit workers, but believes it will be a challenge to make sure these added holidays are used for leisure and rest, since some workers might just use them to do extra work.
In regards to weekly working hours, Ngo Duy Hieu, deputy director of Vietnam’s labor confederation, said Vietnam has the third-highest working hours per year (2,399 hours/year). Thus, he says that decreasing to a 44-hour workweek is necessary for the country to address this problem and move closer to the International Labor Organization's standard of the 40-hour workweek.
The proposal has also received pushback from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The agency, which represents the private sector, insists that weekly working hours should remain unchanged, but the maximum amount of overtime should be increased from 300 hours a year to 400 hours a year, or even 600 hours a year for certain industries.
Le Dinh Quang, deputy head of Vietnam General Confederation of Labor's (VGCL) labor relations department, stated that from 2006 to 2010, the percentage of workers who fit into Category 1 (Very Healthy) was 39%, but between 2011 and 2016, this number dropped to 19%. These alarming statistics suggest there is a need to improve workers’ condition, Quang said.
Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said he disagrees with VCCI's demanded changes to overtime yet believes that, in certain sectors, some increases to the rate should be allowed. Dung also said it's impossible to switch to a 44-hour workweek. The final decision, however, belongs to the national assembly, which recently ordered the VGCL to send them a report evaluating the impact of adding three more public holidays.
