04-06-2025
The decades-long policy Vietnam is scrapping to overhaul birth rate
Vietnam is removing its two-child limit to address a plummeting birth rate, which is among the lowest in Southeast Asia.
The new regulation grants families greater freedom in deciding how many children to have.
Vietnam's fertility rate has dropped from a stable 2.1 between 1999 and 2022 to 1.91 in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of decline.
Experts attribute the declining birth rate to work stress, financial pressures, career ambitions, and shifting social norms, particularly in urban areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam also faces a gender imbalance due to a cultural preference for sons, with the health ministry reportedly proposing to triple fines to about $3,800 to curb foetal gender selection.
