Priority will be given to purchasing, lease-purchasing, or renting social housing for people with two or more children.

On the morning of December 10, the National Assembly voted to pass the Population Law. A notable new point is the provision of priority in purchasing, leasing or renting social housing for people with two or more biological children, according to the housing law.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan presented the draft Population Law. Photo: QUANG PHUC

The law defines the replacement fertility rate as an average of 2.1 children per woman of childbearing age. Population aging is defined as when the proportion of people aged 60 and over accounts for 10% of the total population, or the proportion of people aged 65 and over reaches 7%.

The law stipulates that Vietnam's Population Day is December 26th, and December each year is the National Action Month on Population.

Delegates attending the morning session on December 10. Photo: QUANG PHÚC

The law clearly states that many acts are strictly prohibited, including: sex selection of the fetus in any form; disclosing the sex of the fetus (except in cases permitted by the Ministry of Health for the purpose of diagnosing or treating sex-related diseases); coercion or forced childbirth or non-childbearing; and human cloning.

To maintain replacement fertility, the Law provides a number of support measures, including:

- Female workers giving birth to their second child are entitled to 7 months of maternity leave; male workers are entitled to 10 working days off when their wife gives birth.

- Financial support for ethnic minority women with very few people; women in provinces and cities with low birth rates; women who give birth to 2 children before the age of 35.

- Priority to buy, hire-purchase or rent social housing according to the provisions of the law on housing for people with 2 or more biological children...

Regarding policies to reduce gender imbalance at birth, the law encourages the inclusion of the principle of "no preference for males over females, no sex selection at birth" in village regulations and community conventions; and suspends the practice of medical examination and treatment for those who disclose the sex of the fetus to facilitate abortion.

The government will uniformly manage state affairs related to population work nationwide and report to the National Assembly every five years or on an ad hoc basis. The law takes effect from July 1, 2026, and simultaneously abolishes the provision that "each couple should only have one to two children" in Clause 1, Article 43 of the Law on Protection of People's Health.

PHAN THAO

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/uu-tien-mua-thue-mua-hoac-thue-nha-o-xa-hoi-cho-nguoi-co-tu-2-con-de-tro-len-post827832.html