Why More Young Vietnamese Are Turning to ‘Bed Rotting’ During Holidays

Pham Ha, 25, and Minh Thu, 27, both office workers in Hanoi, spent most of their recent holidays lying in bed. Ha deleted work apps, stayed up scrolling until 3 a.m., slept until the afternoon and ate only once a day. Thu, after a long trip home, cancelled outings and spent her time eating, watching movies and sleeping in her parents’ house.

Ha and Thu are among a growing number of young people embracing “bed rotting,” a TikTok‑born term for spending whole days in bed to avoid work pressure and social interaction.

A VnExpress survey of almost 1,000 readers found that 34 % regularly practice bed rotting on days off. U.S. research firm Morning Consult reported 49 % of Gen Z do it regularly or occasionally, compared with 41 % of millennials. Among Vietnamese Gen Z, 62 % have cancelled social plans just to stay in bed, and 53 % say they feel guilty or empty afterward.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Chung, head of the mental‑health department at Hanoi’s E Hospital, says the habit stems from clear psychological pressures: the need to meet performance targets, hit KPIs and satisfy social expectations, which can keep young people in a constant state of stress.

A 2023 UNICEF report noted that 20 % of adolescents in Vietnam experience mental‑health issues, while a NielsenIQ survey showed 65 % of young people feel pressured to outperform their peers.

Dr. Chung warns that a short weekend of extra sleep can aid recovery, but when inactivity stretches to three or four days the line between recharging and avoidance blurs. At that point, staying in bed becomes an unhealthy coping mechanism and may signal early anxiety or depression.

He lists three physical consequences: a disrupted sleep‑wake cycle that leaves people drowsy by day and restless at night; poorer circulation that stiffens muscles and joints; and constant brain stimulation from phone use in bed, which erodes the link between bed and sleep.

To keep time off restorative, Dr. Chung recommends a consistent wake‑up time, seven to eight hours of night sleep, and avoiding long daytime naps. He also suggests reserving the bed for sleeping, taking breaks from screen scrolling every two hours, spending 15‑30 minutes in sunlight daily, and doing light exercise.

Tuan Minh, 24, from Ho Chi Minh City, tried a different approach after feeling exhausted from oversleeping. He woke at 7 a.m., ran for 30 minutes, cooked three meals a day and read, saying the holiday helped him restore a healthier routine.

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