National Day holiday extension proposed as tourism boost

The VNAT said the suggestion had come from several quarters, seeking to give a fillip to post Covid-19 domestic tourism.

Vietnam National Day celebrates President Ho Chi Minh reading the Declaration of Independence in Hanoi on September 2, 1945.

This year, the national holiday falls on a Wednesday, many localities and more than 30 businesses said the holiday could be extended until the end of that week to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Day and promote domestic tourism. , Director General of the General Department of Customs Nguyen Trung Khanh said on Tuesday. .

Mr. Ha Tat Thang, Director of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, the advisory body for annual holidays under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. XH, said he has not received any official documents with such comments from the tourism industry.

“Recovering after the epidemic, businesses all want to focus on restoring production.Each sector will have its own direction, but everything should serve the same interest", he said, adding that he would discuss the proposal with the labor ministry when the official text is received.He said whether the holiday would be extended or not would be decided by the government.

Out of a total of 14 public holidays in Vietnam this year, only one is left, which is National Day.

Starting in 2021, Vietnamese people will get an extra day off for the National Day holiday, on September 1 or September 3.

Vietnamese public holidays are: the New Year’s Day on the Gregorian calendar; the commemoration day of the Hung Kings, the nation's mythical founders, on the 10th day of the third lunar month; the National Reunification Day on April 30; the Labor Day on May 1; the National Day on September 2; and the Tet or Lunar New Year holiday which normally lasts from seven to nine days that includes weekends.

According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam's tourism industry has lost about $7 billion in revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of guests at hotels down 60%, according to the General Statistics Office.The country has suspended international flights since March 25.

Of the 332 cases of Covid-19 that Vietnam has recorded so far, only 16 remain active and the country has gone 54 days without community transmission of the virus.