Population Law Project: Must make breakthroughs in awareness, policies and solutions

Examining the draft Law on Population, delegates suggested that there needs to be a breakthrough in awareness, policy and solution. Specifically, there needs to be a roadmap to determine the correct viewpoint that population work is to ensure the workforce for national development and ensure the happiness of the elderly. It is necessary to focus on redesigning and incorporating the state's population policy into the draft Law.

Lack of accountability mechanism

The draft Population Law consists of 8 chapters and 28 articles, providing more specific regulations on policies and measures to improve population quality, communication, advocacy, and population education . In addition, the draft Law supplements regulations on policies and measures to maintain replacement fertility, reduce gender imbalance at birth; support elderly care, develop human resources for elderly care; conduct pre-marital counseling and health check-ups and prenatal and neonatal screening, diagnosis, and treatment to improve population quality...

Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Social Affairs Nguyen Dac Vinh speaks at the meeting

Examining the draft Law, the members of the Committee on Culture and Society found that the draft Law is basically consistent with the Party's policies and guidelines. The draft Law has initially contributed to institutionalizing the Party's policies and guidelines on population work in Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017, the 6th Conference of the 12th Party Central Committee on population work in the new situation (hereinafter referred to as Resolution No. 21), Conclusion No. 149-KL/TW dated April 10, 2025 of the Politburo on promoting the implementation of Resolution No. 21 (hereinafter referred to as Conclusion No. 149), Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW dated September 9, 2025 of the Politburo on a number of breakthrough solutions, strengthening the protection, care and improvement of people's health (hereinafter referred to as Resolution No. 72), which is to increase the birth rate to achieve a sustainable replacement level of fertility, have policies to improve population quality, and ensure adaptation to population aging.

However, opinions in the Committee on Culture and Society also pointed out that the content of the draft Law has not clearly shown the population and development policy as the viewpoint of "continuing to shift the focus of population policy from family planning to population and development" as proposed in Resolution No. 21.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan ( Ho Chi Minh City) speaks

National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Thien Nhan (Ho Chi Minh City) said that Vietnam is facing an urgent situation regarding population work. If a law is not enacted now to create a basic legal framework to address population, labor, and elderly issues, Vietnam will follow in the footsteps of several other countries.

According to delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan, Vietnam cannot choose the path of not having enough children and compensating by immigration, but must ensure economic growth while people have enough children to ensure sustainable development.

"We are facing the choice of either developing or not developing. Vietnam is the only country in the world that has a separate resolution on population work in the new situation, and at the same time announced the policy of maintaining the replacement birth rate. However, after many years of implementation, this goal has not been maintained," delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan frankly said.

Warning about the consequences of Vietnam's continuously decreasing birth rate over the past three years, as well as the failure to achieve the replacement birth rate target of 2.1 children per woman, delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan pointed out the causes, challenges and opportunities for Vietnam to maintain the replacement birth rate. Accordingly, the delegate suggested that there needs to be a breakthrough in awareness, policy and solution. Specifically, there needs to be a roadmap to determine the correct viewpoint that population work is to ensure the workforce for national development and ensure the happiness of the elderly.

According to delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan, the draft Population Law currently lacks key elements, including a responsibility mechanism. In the past 3 years, although the target of replacement fertility has not been achieved, it is unclear which agency is responsible. If this question cannot be answered, implementing the policy in the next 5 years will be very difficult, requiring a mechanism to determine the responsibility of Party committees and authorities at all levels in implementing the upcoming Population Law.

Investing in population is investing in development.

Sharing the same view, Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Dac Vinh pointed out that there are many factors that need to be studied in building population policy. In which, the first factor is culture, the second factor is solving the housing problem, the third factor is salary and income policy - conditions to ensure families encourage higher birth rates. The fourth factor is education policy, this is a very important factor, greatly influencing population policy. The fifth factor is medical support in encouraging births.

Also according to Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Dac Vinh, the draft Law is missing a chapter related to State policy on population while this is the legal basis to urge agencies when designing salary policies or demonstrating commitments.

Therefore, he suggested that the drafting agency focus on redesigning and incorporating the state's population policy into the draft Law and most importantly, there must be a Declaration on Population. "This will be the guideline to base on which to build and implement appropriate economic, educational and housing support policies, creating a breakthrough change, reviving the birth rate and escaping the "vicious cycle" of labor shortage - economic underdevelopment", the Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Society emphasized.

Agreeing with the viewpoint of drafting the Population Law to continue to promptly and fully institutionalize the Party and State's policies and guidelines on population work in the new situation, National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Anh Tri (Hanoi) expressed his hope that the Population Law will soon be passed at the 10th Session.

National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Anh Tri (Hanoi) speaks

According to delegate Nguyen Anh Tri, Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW on population work in the new situation has emphasized the shift in focus of population work from family planning to population and development, investment in population is investment in development and must be prioritized. Therefore, the most necessary and important thing in the draft Population Law is to have a section regulating the State's population policy.

National Assembly Deputy Pham Nhu Hiep (Hue City) speaks

Concerned about improving the quality of the population, National Assembly member Pham Nhu Hiep (Hue City) highly appreciated the provisions in Article 21 of the draft Law on screening, diagnosis, and prenatal and neonatal treatment. However, to improve the population, the delegate suggested that the draft Law should pay attention to the infertile population, which accounts for nearly 8% of the population. Accordingly, it is necessary to add provisions on support conditions such as examination, diagnosis, and support for infertility treatment.

In addition, delegate Pham Nhu Hiep said that taking care of newborns and preschool children is a difficult time. To make women feel more secure and not afraid to give birth, there should be policies for nurturing and caring for newborns, breastfed babies, and preschool children with school facilities that ensure quality in both physical and mental aspects.

Speaking to clarify the issues raised by the National Assembly deputies, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong affirmed that the opinions of the deputies were very important and practical in helping the Ministry of Health complete the draft Law. When drafting the Population Law, the Ministry of Health took the lead in coordinating with relevant ministries and branches to research and try to come up with the most comprehensive regulations.

Realizing that the proposal to add a chapter/article on the State's population policy is very correct, the Deputy Minister of Health said that in addition to adding this content to the draft Law, the Ministry of Health will issue specific regulations on the population policy framework. In which, important and main policies will be listed, and the implementation of these policies will follow current laws.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/du-an-luat-dan-so-phai-dot-pha-ve-nhan-thuc-chinh-sach-va-giai-phap-10390087.html