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Vietnam public holidays 2026
Every school in Ho Chi Minh City, national or international, closes on Vietnam's national public holidays. Tet is by far the largest and reshapes February. The headline 2026 dates are below; the Tet public holiday spans several days and students get a longer school break around it.
| Holiday | Date 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday 1 January |
| Tet (Lunar New Year) public holiday | Around Saturday 14 February to Sunday 22 February |
| Lunar New Year's Day | Tuesday 17 February |
| Hung Kings' Commemoration Day | Sunday 26 April (observed Monday 27 April) |
| Reunification Day | Thursday 30 April |
| International Labour Day | Friday 1 May |
| National Day | Wednesday 2 September (plus one adjacent day) |
Vietnam has relatively few public holidays compared with many countries, but Tet dominates the calendar. The official Tet public holiday for workers runs about five days, while schools in Ho Chi Minh City extend the student break to around eleven days. Reunification Day and Labour Day fall together at the end of April and create a four-day weekend most years.
Ho Chi Minh City term dates 2025-26 and 2026-27
Vietnamese national schools in Ho Chi Minh City work to a two-semester year of at least 35 teaching weeks, with dates set by the city's Department of Education and Training. The 2025-26 framework is confirmed; the 2026-27 dates are indicative until published.
| Term or break | Dates |
|---|---|
| First semester 2025-26 | Fri 5 September 2025 to mid-January 2026 |
| Second semester 2025-26 | Begins Mon 19 January 2026 |
| Tet (Lunar New Year) break | Thu 12 February to Sun 22 February 2026 |
| End of school year | Sun 31 May 2026 |
| Summer holidays | From early June 2026 to the start of September 2026 |
| First semester 2026-27 (indicative) | Begins early September 2026 |
The two semesters deliver eighteen and seventeen teaching weeks respectively. There is no half-term break in the Vietnamese system; the long Tet holiday in February is the one major mid-year break, and the summer holiday from June to September is the long one. School heads in the city have some flexibility over the exact Tet dates, provided the break does not exceed two weeks. Confirm against your own school's published calendar before booking travel.
Choosing a school in Ho Chi Minh City?
The calendar gap between Vietnamese and international schools matters when siblings attend different systems. Our school finder filters schools by curriculum, stage and fee tier.
International school term dates in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City has a large and well-established international school market, from British and American schools to IB World Schools, concentrated in District 2 (Thu Duc City), District 7 and Phu My Hung. These schools follow a northern-hemisphere August to June year rather than the Vietnamese September to May calendar. British schools keep three terms with October and February half terms and an Easter break; American and IB schools run two semesters with a winter break at Christmas and a spring break.
The one feature every system shares is Tet. Almost all international schools in the city close for roughly one to two weeks over Lunar New Year, often aligning their February half term or a dedicated Tet break with the national holiday so that families can travel. International schools finish later into June than the national 31 May end and reopen in mid to late August. To compare programmes read our curriculum guides, and for the cost of each pathway see international school fees in Ho Chi Minh City.
Planning the Ho Chi Minh City school year
Three planning notes for families in the city. First, Tet is the single most important travel window in Vietnam, and flights and trains fill weeks ahead while many businesses close, so plan February travel early or stay put and enjoy a quieter city. Second, the long summer from June to August is hot and wet, and international school families often travel home or regionally, pushing up long-haul fares; book by spring. Third, international school fees are billed by term or semester, so budget for the first invoice around the August start. For the wider relocation picture see our Ho Chi Minh City guide and the Vietnam country guide.
Common questions
When do schools break up in Ho Chi Minh City in 2026? Vietnamese national schools finish by 31 May 2026. International schools usually break up in mid-June for the summer.
How long is the summer holiday? National schools take around three months, from early June to early September. International schools run a shorter eight to ten week summer, from mid-June to mid or late August.
When is the Tet holiday in 2026? For city students the Tet break runs from Thursday 12 February to Sunday 22 February 2026, around Lunar New Year's Day on 17 February.
When does the 2026 school year start? National schools begin in early September, with a similar early-September start expected for 2026-27. International schools begin in mid to late August.
Do international schools follow the Vietnamese calendar? No. They keep an August to June year, but almost all close for around one to two weeks over Tet.