Two days off for two public holidays in April

These public holidays are the commemoration day of Hung Kings on April 18 (or March 10 of the third lunar month), the Re-unification Day (April 30).

The Re-unification day falls on Tuesday and it will be followed by the Labor Day (May 1).

Viet Nam has six annual public holidays on the New Year Day, commemoration day of the Hung Kings, the Re-unification Day, the Labor Day (May 1), the National Day (September 2), the traditional Lunar New Year Day, with total break off from 12-14 days.

If a public holiday falls on weekend, there will be compensatory days off, according to current legislation.

People working overtime or night shifts during the holiday get at least 300 percent of their wage. Foreigners in Viet Nam get two extra days off: their own traditional new year and National Day holidays.

Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with 100 eggs, which later hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, the couple separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.

Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 generations of the Hung Kings.

The kings chose Nghia Linh mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for healthy crops.

To honor their great contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on the mountain, and the 10th day of the third lunar month.

The National Reunification Day (April 30) is a national public holiday, commemorating the liberation of the South and national reunification in 1975.

May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, is celebrated in over 80 countries across the world including Viet Nam./.