The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs forwarded the proposal to extend the National Day holiday (September 2) by four days to the Prime Minister but it was turned down, VnExpress reported.

Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung told media about the proposal of extending the National Day holiday. Photo: VnExpress.

Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung told media on June 10 that he welcomed all initiatives aiming at boosting tourism, however, the extension of the holiday needed to be carefully considered. 

As the social distancing period already last very long, “it is time for us to carry out the dual objective of boosting economic development and preventing the disease,” the minister said.

Dung also added that the proposal, if approved, would "benefit" only two million public servants of the total 55 million workers nationwide. “The number only accounts for 4-5% of the work force, which wouldn’t make any significant impact on the tourism industry and the economy,” the minister explained.

The Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT) on Tuesday proposed to the government extend this year's National Day vacation by another four days to encourage post-Covid-19 travel.

Ha Tat Thang, head of the Department of Labor Safety under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the department has not received any official request from tour operators.

“Local enterprises wish to recover their business activities after the pandemic. Each industry will have its own way but it needs to be in line with the common interest," he said.

In 2020, Vietnamese workers had a total of 14 Tet vacation days, including Saturdays and Sundays. From now until the end of the year, there will only be one holiday on the occasion of National Day.

Starting from 2021, the National Day holiday will be added another day which could be either September 1 or September 3, depending on the government decision. 

Vietnam keeps international air routes closed since early March to prevent Covid-19 infection. In the first five months of 2020, revenue from tourism fell 54.1% year-on-year to VND8.3 trillion (US$357.6 million).