A shift in population policy implementation

According to Resolution No. 202/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly on the arrangement of provincial-level administrative units, Lao Cai province has a population of 1,778,785 people.

Lao Cai is a province with a young, ethnically diverse population structure, but is rapidly shifting due to urbanization and migration.

To improve population quality, the health sector has had important solutions such as strengthening the leadership and direction of local Party committees and authorities; innovating and improving the effectiveness of state management; the participation of the entire political and social system; enhancing the responsibility of leaders at all levels, agencies and units in implementing population policies.

Promote propaganda andeducation on population, innovate content and methods of communication, education to change behavior; apply digital technology to communication work.

In addition, the health sector also develops a network of population services and reproductive health care, prioritizes investment in disadvantaged areas, enhances professional training for population staff, especially at the commune, village and hamlet levels; synchronously implements activities to improve population quality such as: prenatal screening for pregnant mothers, Thalassemia screening, counseling, pre-marital health check-ups...

The Population Ordinance takes effect from June 3, 2025, officially abolishing the previous regulation that each couple can only have 1 to 2 children, allowing couples to decide for themselves the time of giving birth, the number of children and the interval between births in accordance with their age, health status, conditions of study, labor, work, income and child-rearing on the basis of equality.

This regulation aims to overcome the difference in birth rates between regions and groups, to avoid the birth rate falling too low, not reaching the replacement level, leading to consequences of labor shortage, population decline, accelerated population aging, and negative impacts on socio-economic development, security and defense in the future. This is an important shift in current population policy.

Mr. Luc Hau Giang, Deputy Director of Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health said: "Based on the actual situation, Lao Cai province after the merger is still the province with the highest birth rate in the country.

The total fertility rate (TFR) of the province is not stable and remains high. According to the Statistical Yearbook of the General Statistics Office in 2024, the fertility rate of Lao Cai province (old) is 2.55 children/woman and Yen Bai province (old) is 2.47 children/woman, both are in the group of provinces with high fertility rates nationwide (the whole country is 1.91 children/woman); the crude birth rate tends to increase again, leading to an increase in the natural population growth rate.

Rapid population growth again will risk destroying previous achievements, hindering socio-economic development, especially affecting the issue of improving the province's population quality."

Also according to the Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Health, in the coming time, in order for people to clearly understand the policy, ensuring that the quality of the population is not affected, especially in mountainous and disadvantaged communes, first of all, the health sector will direct focused propaganda so that people need to carefully consider when deciding to have children, because having children is not only exercising personal rights but also comes with great responsibility.

Parents need to be fully prepared in terms of knowledge, economy and spirit to be able to raise their children well. Each family and each individual needs to clearly define their rights and responsibilities before deciding to have children and decide on the number of children appropriate to the family's conditions, contributing to improving population quality and developing high-quality human resources.

In addition, the province also continues to implement goals and tasks to reduce birth rates, while improving the quality of reproductive health care and family planning services; disseminating population quality improvement services so that people know and have convenient access.

Promote propaganda about the current situation, consequences of high birth rate and the province's birth reduction target according to the set plan target; provide advice on the benefits and significance of implementing family planning and reproductive health care; promote communication about the consequences of early marriage, incestuous marriage and girls under 18 giving birth.

Along with that, effectively implement central and local policies on supporting population work, integrate population programs with other projects and programs, strengthen multi-sectoral coordination in propaganda and implementation of population activities in the province.

With high determination, synchronous approaches and specific, practical solutions, Lao Cai province is gradually realizing the sustainable improvement of population quality, creating profound and broad changes in people's awareness and actions.

Every citizen needs to raise awareness, join in population work, contribute to building a developed community so that every child born has the best conditions for physical, intellectual and spiritual development.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/buoc-chuyen-trong-thuc-hien-chinh-sach-dan-so-post648470.html