How many days off do students in Ho Chi Minh City have for the New Year's holiday?

Students in Ho Chi Minh City will only have one day off for New Year's Day 2026 (January 1, 2026), in accordance with general labor laws and city directives.

Students in Ho Chi Minh City will have one day off for New Year's Day 2026. (Photo: Nguyen Hue)

On the evening of December 9th, Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of the Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, stated that the New Year's Day holiday on January 1st, 2026, for the education sector follows the regulations of the labor law and other directives of the City, without exception compared to other sectors. This means that students will only have a holiday on January 1st, 2026.

Earlier, during the professional development meeting for general education in the first semester of the 2025-2026 school year, held on the same day, some school leaders raised questions about whether students could have an additional day off on Friday (January 2nd) since New Year's Day (January 1st, 2026) falls on a Thursday.

At the conference, several school leaders questioned the Department of Education and Training about whether schools could give students an extra day off on Friday (January 2nd), given that New Year's Day (January 1st, 2026) falls on a Thursday. Responding to this issue, Mr. Nguyen Ha Nguyen, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, stated that the Department has given schools the autonomy to decide whether to grant students an extra day off on January 2nd.

Mr. Nguyen stated that, according to regulations, the New Year's Day holiday is only one day long (January 1, 2026). However, given the specific nature of the education sector, schools can flexibly arrange for students to have an additional day off on January 2nd. Thus, students will have a four-day holiday, from Thursday (January 1, 2026) to Sunday (January 4, 2026).

According to Mr. Nguyen, schools can also organize Friday classes online to ensure the curriculum is covered.

Previously, regarding the 2025-2026 school year schedule, Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of the Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, stated that the department would submit a proposal to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City regarding the Lunar New Year holiday in 2026, which is expected to last approximately two weeks.

According to Mr. Minh, the timetable for the 2025-2026 school year in Ho Chi Minh City is built according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training . Accordingly, the school year begins on September 5th and ends on May 31st, ensuring a full 35 weeks of teaching.

During this period, schools can proactively arrange their teaching plans as long as they ensure the required number of teaching weeks. The Lunar New Year holiday schedule will be arranged accordingly, but must still comply with regulations regarding the number of teaching weeks.

“The Department will propose a Tet holiday schedule that covers a full week, meaning students will be off from the weekend and return to school at the beginning of the week. The official Lunar New Year holiday plan needs to wait for the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to issue it. The Department is expected to propose a two-week Lunar New Year holiday for students,” Mr. Minh informed.

According to the 2025-2026 school year timetable issued by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee at the end of August, the first semester begins on September 5th, ensuring 18 weeks of actual learning; the remaining time is for other activities. The second semester begins on January 19th, 2026, ensuring 17 weeks of actual learning. The school year ends before May 31st, 2026.

Based on this timeframe and the proposed plan from the Department of Education and Training, the Lunar New Year holiday for students in Ho Chi Minh City in 2026 could take place from February 9th to February 22nd, 2026 (from the 22nd day of the 12th lunar month to the 6th day of the 1st lunar month). Including weekends, the holiday period for students in Ho Chi Minh City will be approximately 16 days.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hoc-sinh-tp-ho-chi-minh-nghi-tet-duong-lich-may-ngay-337228.html