A newborn at HCM City’s Hung Vuong Hospital.(Photo: VNA)HCM
City (VNS/VNA) – ’s economic engine has the lowest fertility rate in the country of 1.53, according to the Ministry of Health’s latest
report in June.
A total 21 provinces and cities have low to very low fertility rates, mostly in
the , southeast and central coastal regions. With a total
population of 38 million, these provinces’ prolonged declining fertility rates
pose dire threats to the country’s future in terms of security, workforce and
economy, the report said.
Meanwhile, 33 others have high fertility rates, with the central province of Ha
Tinh topping the list at 2.9 births per woman of childbearing age.
The MoH has recently decided to attempt to adjust s among
localities to maintain the desired fertility at replacement level of two to 2.2
children per woman of reproductive age.
The ministry said it would allocate State funds to provide contraceptive
methods to localities with low birth rates which are usually poor and currently
account for 42 per cent of the country’s population.
There will also be incentives to encourage families in areas with low fertility
rates to have more children.
The plan touches on piloting online sex education and consulting for youth as
well as programmes to prevent infertility and reproductive cancers for
adolescents.
According to the MoH, Vietnam has a high rate of infertility of which 7.7 percent
is primary infertility.
The 2019 Population and Housing Census also revealed contradictions between
women’s financial statuses and their willingness to bear a child.
Those in the richest group had the lowest fertility rate and vice versa. Sex
imbalance at birth has witnessed an upward trend in recent years, the census
highlighted.
Vietnam’s total fertility rate (TFR) dropped from 2.25 children per woman in
2001 to 1.99 in 2011. From 2012 to 2019, the rate ranged from 2.04 to 2.1.
According to the 2019 census, the TFR of urban areas was 1.83 children per
woman, lower than rural areas’ average rate of 2.26. The trend has remained the
same for two decades.
The imbalance in access to information and health care services contributes to
the status quo, the census suggests, as couples living in cities are aware of
the benefits of family planning and can easily access contraception.
Earlier in April, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a birth rate
adjustment programme which encourages people to get married before the age
of 30 and women to give birth to their second child before they are 35.
The programme plans to offer incentives for couples with two children including
reducing tax, tuition fees, rental expenses and social housing prices.
Local authorities have been asked to pilot marriage and family consultation
services such as dating clubs and pre-marriage health consultations./.
Source: VietnamPlus
