A Vietnamese lawmaker has suggested administrative agencies, public service providers, and public education institutions in urban regions start work one hour earlier than currently, claiming the change would improve congestion, health, and familial ties.

National Assembly deputy Nguyen Van Canh proposed changing the current working hours in administrative bodies, public services and public schools in cities during a discussion on socio-economic development on Tuesday.

“Our work time should start at 8:30 am and end at 5:00 pm with a one-hour lunch break,” Canh said at the lawmaking NA’s discussion in Hanoi.

“But production units and non-state enterprises could decide their own working hours to meet their needs.”

The lawmaker from the south-central province of Binh Dinh claimed that the same working time has been applied in government agencies and administrative bodies in the world and several Asian countries, without elaborating on which ones.

Canh explained that the shorter the break, the higher the productivity.

“Those countries taking a long lunch break have lower productivity than other nations,” he said.

“Within one country, economic growth in those regions that take a long rest is slower than the remaining.”  

The time change would improve traffic, health, family and public relationships, and work discipline, while helping save energy, the NA deputy claimed in the televised discussion.

“We would no longer see moms hurriedly taking their children to school [so they can get to work on time after that], with the kids holding a loaf of bread and a carton of milk [as a quick breakfast] in their hands on motorbikes, which is both unsafe and harmful to their health.

“The kids have to get up very early to go to school, with some eating on their way. We should change our work time so that their parents would have more time to take better care of them.

The current work time in the public sector in Vietnam is from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, with a break lasting from one hour and a half to two hours around midday.

Canh admitted that such change would be difficult to adapt and have a considerable impact on many citizens, but insisted that it should be considered if benefits could be gained.

“I suggest the National Assembly and the government take this proposition into account, consult citizens, enterprises and experts, both local and international, and host conferences to evaluate the pros and cons of the adjustment,” the parliamentarian said.

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