Govt. Announces Public Holidays for 2024

Source: Vientiane Times

The government has announced the dates of six public holidays this year, with extra days added if a public holiday falls on a weekend, providing the dates in advance to enable government bodies and businesses to plan ahead.

Starting on Monday (January 1), the Prime Minister’s Office issued a notice declaring this day a public holiday – the first holiday of the year. The second public holiday falls on March 8 when Laos joins with other countries to observe International Women’s Day.

As usual, April 13-16 is a public holiday to celebrate Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year), the longest annual festival and holiday in Laos. But as April 13 and 14 fall on Saturday and Sunday this year, April 17 and 18 will be added to make up the full number of days allocated for the holiday.

As every year, May 1 is a public holiday marking International Labour Day.

July 20, the Founding Day of the Lao Women’s Union, which is unique to Laos, is a holiday for all female civil servants, government staff and other female employees. But as July 20 falls on a Saturday, Monday, July 22 will be awarded as a holiday in compensation.

The last public holiday in 2024 is December 2, when everyone will celebrate National Day and the founding of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

These dates have traditionally been public holidays in past years, but the Prime Minister’s announcement of the dates at this early stage seems to be the first such advance notification in recent memory, which the Prime Minister’s Office says is intended to ensure uniform compliance.