National Assembly delegates proposed adding July 27 as an annual paid holiday for workers during sessions on November 9, 2026.
Lawmakers Propose July 27 Holiday
Workers currently receive 11 paid days off annually under the Labor Code. A draft amendment proposes adding November 24 as Vietnamese Culture Day to raise the total to 12 days, according to Báo VietNamNet.
Representative Nguyễn Sỹ Hội from the Nghệ An delegation proposed adding July 27, the annual War Invalids and Martyrs Day, as a paid day off. During the proceedings on the morning of November 9, the National Assembly continued its second session by discussing several key legislative projects.
These included amendments to the Labor Code, the Law on Social Insurance, the Law on Archives, the Law on Gender Equality, the Law on Red Cross Activities, and the Law on Employment.
Representative Nguyễn Sỹ Hội serves as the Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and President of the Veterans Association of Nghệ An Province. He noted that the nation has experienced development and renewal, with the Party and State placing an emphasis on social security, poverty alleviation, and specifically supporting individuals who have rendered meritorious service to the country.
The proposal aims to give individuals dedicated time to participate in memorial events and expressions of gratitude alongside family, relatives, friends, and local communities, as reported by Báo Nghệ An.
Representative Nguyễn Thị Kim Thoa serves as the Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in Vĩnh Long Province and President of the Provincial Women’s Union. She noted that adding this date would bring the annual total of paid holidays to 13 days, which remains modest compared to other nations.
Voters Back Martyrs Day Rest
Supporters of the measure pointed to widespread public participation in recent memorial events across the country. Representative Nguyễn Sỹ Hội told the assembly that voters and veterans had expressed a strong desire for the dedicated day off, reflecting the traditional national ethic of drinking water, remember its source,
according to Báo Thanh Niên (thanhnien.vn).
He shared that through meetings with policy families, war veterans, former youth volunteers, frontline civilian workers, and citizens, numerous voters voiced their aspirations for the July 27 observance to become a paid day off.
Lawmakers cited large crowds gathering during the search for fallen soldiers under the 500-day-and-night campaign
and during funeral rites at Lê Thị Riêng Park in Ho Chi Minh City, where citizens waited hours to bid farewell to fallen heroes.
Among public contributions, VnExpress noted that for example, a farmer in Đà Lạt transported more than 4,000 complimentary flowers down to Ho Chi Minh City so that the people could wave goodbye and escort the heroic martyrs to the cemetery,
as cited by representative Nguyễn Sỹ Hội.
He emphasized that not only officials and party members, but also students, local residents, and independent workers such as lottery ticket vendors and scrap collectors waited for hours to pay their final respects.
The Government previously proposed a similar holiday inclusion during the 2019 revision of the Labor Code. This raised concerns from some perspectives that such a day might evoke sorrow or affect public sentiment, and the matter remains under consideration by lawmakers and drafting authorities.