Population experts recommend that young families should have two children.

According to statistics, the total fertility rate (TFR) in Vietnam has decreased from 2.11 children/woman (in 2005) to 1.96 children/woman (in 2024). In many large cities, the fertility rate is even lower, such as in Ho Chi Minh City, it only reached 1.39 children/woman (the lowest in the country). This declining fertility trend is forecast to continue in the following years, if there are no effective interventions.

According to Dr. Pham Vu Hoang, Deputy Director of the Department of Population ( Ministry of Health ), looking at the overall picture of the current population, it shows that the birth rate in our country is alarming, where birth rate needs to increase, it has decreased seriously, where birth rate needs to decrease, it is still increasing or remaining the same. If there is no timely solution, the impact will be very severe when the birth rate decreases, the rate of elderly people increases rapidly, leading to a decrease in the labor force, affecting economic growth, creating great pressure on the social security system...

Professor, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu (former Director of the Institute of Population and Social Affairs) said that instead of simply blaming the "reluctance to have children" or "modern lifestyle", it is necessary to frankly recognize the specific causes in Vietnam: The pressure to make a living is great, the income of most young families is not enough to cover daily and monthly expenses; young people prioritize their careers, self-development, and are afraid of the "burdens" of getting married and having children...

There are many solutions, but there must be solutions that go straight to the problem, solving the current practical concerns. To solve the current problem of low birth rate, the National Assembly Standing Committee recently considered and approved the Ordinance amending Article 10 of the Population Ordinance No. 06/PL-UBTVQH11, which was amended and supplemented by Ordinance No. 08/2008/PL-UBTVQH12.

Accordingly, each couple has the right to decide for themselves the number of children and the spacing between births; at the same time, localities are allowed to proactively develop population policies appropriate to the birth rate of each region.

Amending that regulation is considered the most effective breakthrough solution at this time, helping to remove legal barriers and create an open policy corridor for localities to be proactive.

Deputy Director Pham Vu Hoang said that amending Article 10 of the Population Ordinance would flexibly regulate policies by region when Vietnam has a large difference in fertility rates between regions. Giving local authorities the initiative will help adjust population policies more closely to reality, instead of “one policy for the whole country”.

The State must have policies to encourage and support families to give birth and raise young children; diversify forms of support such as: subsidies, personal income tax exemptions, financial and medical support, increased maternity leave, childbirth allowances, exemptions and reductions in preschool tuition fees, support for buying affordable houses for young families, etc.

(Prof., Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu)

However, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu said that the amendment and supplementation of this ordinance is only a necessary condition, but not enough to raise the birth rate, ensure "maintaining the replacement birth rate", to effectively encourage birth, there needs to be a strong enough accompanying policy package.

The State must have policies to encourage and support families to give birth and raise young children; diversify forms of support such as: subsidies, personal income tax exemptions, financial and medical support, increased maternity leave, childbirth allowances, exemptions and reductions in preschool tuition fees, support for buying affordable houses for young families, etc.

Along with specific policies, it is necessary to improve communication work to change awareness; propagate that having two children is a responsibility to the nation...

On the other hand, the content and policy of "having two children is a citizen's responsibility" should be included in schools; the target of having enough children should be included in the local socio-economic development plan; and combined with mass mobilization and mass organization work to reach people more effectively.

With the merger and organization of 2-level administrative units, localities need to develop population policies suitable to local realities to ensure a stable population structure with the characteristics of each region. Where the birth rate is high, it is necessary to encourage birth reduction; where the birth rate is low, encourage giving birth to two children or more; issue supportive, flexible policies suitable to the context of rapid population transition.

According to nhandan.vn

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/an-sinh-xa-hoi/giai-phap-dot-pha-ngan-muc-giam-sinh-duoi-muc-sinh-thay-the-155503.html