Revised proposal for men with 2 children and no wife to be given priority to buy social housing

Mr. Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Department of Population (Ministry of Health) said: "The drafting committee has adjusted the latest draft to avoid legal gaps. Accordingly, the priority regulation only applies to "men with 2 children but their wives have died" and consider removing the regulation on "men with 2 children but no wife" (due to divorce)".

On November 7, at the press briefing on the draft Population Law, in response to the question about the necessity of a separate Population Law when there are more than 50 other laws regulating this issue, the representative of the Department of Population clarified the goal of building this Law, emphasizing the strategic change of the times.

Mr. Pham Vu Hoang, Deputy Director of the Department of Population, said: "The Population Law was issued to establish a unified regulatory framework, with the core goal of maintaining a sustainable replacement fertility rate. This is a humane policy, helping to adjust the difference in fertility rates between regions, serving the goal of socio -economic development."

In particular, Mr. Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Department of Population, emphasized the fundamental transformation in Vietnam's population work: "Previously, population work was mainly family planning. Now, it is Family Planning and Development. The work is different, the people working on population are also different. We built this Law around four major policies: Maintaining replacement fertility, Reducing gender imbalance at birth, Adapting to population aging and Improving population quality.

Although no country in the world has a comprehensive Population Law like the one we are building, we hope to have companionship so that population work will receive more attention."

Pro-natal policy: Adding criteria but not expanding the target group

The replacement fertility policy is clearly stated in Article 13 of the Draft, which is the focus of solving the problem of the declining national average fertility rate (only about 1.91 children/woman in 2024, the lowest in history). The proposed fertility promotion solutions do not only stop at financial support but also focus on solving the burden of social security and housing.

Accordingly, the policy of giving priority to buying or renting social housing for families with two children is considered a breakthrough measure to solve the greatest financial pressure for young couples.

Doctor Dang Quynh Thu, Population Size Department, Department of Population explained at the working session

Clarifying the application mechanism, Dr. Dang Quynh Thu, Population Size Department, Department of Population explained: "The goal is to contribute to slowing down the aging process of the population. We keep the 12 current priority subjects according to the Housing Law, only adding the priority criteria (women giving birth to 2 children) to that list. This will not affect the actual resources for other low-income people, and at the same time, priority will be given to localities with low birth rates (for example, Ho Chi Minh City)".

Regarding the male subject, Mr. Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Population Department, added: "The drafting committee has adjusted the latest draft to avoid legal gaps, accordingly the priority regulation only applies to "men with 2 children but the wife is dead" and consider removing the regulation on "men with 2 children but no wife" (due to divorce)".

Besides housing, the Draft Law also proposes other practical support solutions:

Time off: Increase 01 month of maternity leave when giving birth to the second child for women; men whose wives give birth to the second child are entitled to 05 additional working days off.

Direct financial support: Applicable to women from very small ethnic minorities, women in areas with low fertility rates, or women who give birth to two children before the age of 35 (to encourage early childbearing).

Local responsibilities: Strengthen decentralization for provincial authorities based on socio-economic conditions to proactively select and allocate budgets, expand social benefits (such as reducing tuition fees, prioritizing childcare services) for families with two children, ensuring flexibility and policy effectiveness in each region.

Currently, the drafting committee of the Draft Population Law is continuing to receive comments and make revisions to promptly submit to the National Assembly . It is expected that the Draft Population Law will continue to be discussed by the National Assembly in the hall on November 10.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/sua-de-xuat-nam-gioi-co-2-con-de-khong-co-vo-duoc-uu-tien-mua-nha-o-xa-hoi-20251107133626011.htm