BACK
For many U.S. and global companies, operational downtime is a major concern: If the entire remote team takes holiday time off, does our velocity stop? Are we paying for delays?
Holiday interruptions are still a major risk. The U.S., for instance, operates on 11 federal holidays, which makes in-house planning relatively predictable. However, if offshore teams are located in a country that observes 18 to 20+ or more public holidays annually, often varying by region, capacity planning, coverage, and delivery timelines become significantly harder to safeguard, even with calendar alignment.
Vietnam offers a more continuous operational flow. A more modest national holiday calendar keeps work moving through critical windows, giving your organization steadier output and stronger business continuity.
Let’s explore the holiday calendars of leading outsourcing destinations, and see why Vietnam is becoming a preferred choice for U.S. companies focused on stability.
Table of contents
1. Colombia: Flexible but operationally unsteady
Colombia is a vibrant outsourcing hub, yet its 18 national holidays a year, often referred to as Colombia’s public holidays, can introduce friction for teams running global delivery.
Many of these holidays shift to Mondays thanks to Ley 51 de 1983, so long weekends become the norm rather than the exception. That creates unpredictable four-day weeks that don’t always align with development tasks in an IT project or the campaign rhythm of your digital marketing team.
When a large portion of your offshore team is offline at the same time, even briefly, productivity can dip quickly and deadlines feel the impact almost immediately.
2. India: Regional richness, scheduling complexity
India remains a powerhouse for global IT, but its holiday structure introduces something few first-time outsourcing buyers anticipate: calendar fragmentation. India’s public holidays include around 17 centrally mandated days, and when additional regional, religious, and optional observances are factored in, the total number of days off can easily reach 20–25 per year.
That means within one outsourced team: same project, same goals, one group may be out for Diwali while another is managing different local events.
Work continues, but coordination slows, meetings get pushed, handovers stall, and momentum toward releases in product development or response times in customer support becomes harder to maintain.
3. Philippines: Large talent pool, but a heavy holiday load
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest outsourcing hubs, but its 18 national public holidays each year, spanning regular holidays and special non-working days, can introduce friction for teams operating across global markets.
Because many of these holidays are observed nationwide, large portions of the workforce go offline at once. This leads to shorter effective workweeks and added coordination challenges across ongoing projects and daily operations.
When a significant part of your offshore team is unavailable simultaneously, even briefly, productivity can dip and delivery timelines feel the impact almost immediately.
4. Vietnam: Predictability that supports business continuity
Vietnam has earned attention from U.S. companies for one distinct advantage: a leaner and far more predictable public-holiday schedule, roughly 13 national holidays per year, among the lowest of top outsourcing locations. These days off are planned well in advance and tend to cluster in clear windows, most notably the Lunar New Year (Tet Holiday).
Rather than sporadic disruption, you gain visibility and can align all planning around one major pause. That consistency keeps teams aligned with your business calendar and helps progress stay uninterrupted when it matters most.
Holiday comparison table
| Country | Approx. national holidays | Holiday schedule characteristics | Impact on U.S. and global clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 17+ Gazetted and multiple regional/optional holidays (20-25 in practice) | Complex, varies by region and religion | Requires added planning buffers, uneven team availability may slow progress on collaborative work |
| Colombia | 18 | Many holidays shift to Mondays, creating frequent long weekends | Shorter workweeks reduce momentum, increasing risk of shifting releases or deadlines |
| Philippines | 18 | Nationwide observance creates broad, simultaneous downtime | Shorter effective workweeks and coverage gaps can disrupt coordination and delivery |
| Vietnam | 13 | Concentrated, well-defined, and highly predictable | Strong continuity, minimal disruption during critical business periods |
Vietnam’s dual advantage for U.S. companies
Consistent cadence: The holiday advantage
When U.S. teams look to Vietnam for offshore work, concerns about full-team holiday downtime are significantly reduced compared with many other markets.
Vietnam public holidays follow a clear, predictable structure. With downtime concentrated into a few well-defined periods, planning becomes far simpler, your release cycles stay aligned, support remains responsive, and work keeps moving even when coordination crosses time zones.
The result is a steady operational rhythm that helps you achieve consistent results with confidence.
Work ethic: A culture defined by strong dedication
Holiday cadence is only half the story. What many U.S. companies notice early on is the consistently strong attendance and reliability of Vietnamese professionals. A sense of responsibility and pride in meeting expectations runs deep culturally, and that translates into consistent follow-through on tasks that matter most to you.
This reputation is also reflected globally. Vietnam ranks 7th worldwide in A.T. Kearney’s 2023 Global Services Location Index, underscoring the country’s rising status in high-value outsourcing and the strength of its growing talent pool.
In day-to-day work, this shows up in consistent attendance, dependable follow-through, and teams pushing to meet deadlines even as holiday periods approach. Handover notes are clear, communication stays proactive, and tasks get finished rather than left open, all of which reduces operational risk for your business.
Vietnam’s dual advantage: Predictable holidays and reliable teams
When you combine a predictable nationwide holiday structure with a workforce known for trust, quality, communication and follow-through, you get something rare in outsourcing: stability you can trust.
While other regions may slow down or fragment across frequent breaks, Vietnam gives your business a dependable operating base that supports projects, customers, and performance targets consistently.
If continuity and reliability are priorities for your U.S. operations, Vietnam offers a dual advantage that’s hard to match.
Conclusion
When offshore teams support critical delivery, operational stability becomes essential. Many outsourcing hubs experience frequent national holidays and coordinated downtime, creating coverage gaps and slowing response times for U.S. companies.
Vietnam, by contrast, has a more predictable and concentrated holiday calendar – a meaningful advantage in a 24-hour workflow. Combined with Vietnam’s reputation for dependable execution, this gives you offshore talent built to maintain momentum rather than interrupt it.
For organizations planning capability into 2026 and beyond, Vietnam offers a steadier foundation that supports continuity, safeguards performance, and keeps teams reliably on track.
