Vietnam stops policy of 'each family is only allowed to have 1 to 2 children'

After more than two decades as a guiding principle in population policy, the familiar slogan 'Each family should only have 1 to 2 children' has officially been 'killed'.

It is time to change the approach to population policy - from control to proactive and sustainable population development - Photo: QUANG DINH

This step is considered suitable for current reality, when Vietnam is facing dual challenges: low birth rate and rapidly aging population.

The recently passed revised Population Ordinance marks a major turning point in the population approach from primarily controlling population numbers to sustainable and comprehensive development.

Each family decides the number of children to have.

Under the new regulations, each couple/individual can decide on the time of giving birth, the number of children and the interval between births in accordance with the age, health status, learning conditions, labor, work, income and child-rearing of the individual/couple on the basis of equality.

This regulation replaces the current regulation, which strongly recommends that each couple decide when and how far apart they want to have children.

Previously, in March 2025, the Central Inspection Commission also issued guidelines on disciplinary action against violating party organizations and party members: party members who have a third or more child will not be subject to disciplinary action as before.

Through these policies, Vietnam has officially abolished the limit on the number of children each couple can have, allowing couples to decide for themselves whether to have children, and no longer disciplines party members who have a third or more children.

Amending legal documents is one of the contents to maintain the replacement birth rate, avoiding the birth rate from continuing to decrease in the coming time.

According to statistics from the Department of Population ( Ministry of Health ), Vietnam's total fertility rate in 2023 is 1.95 children/woman - down from 2022 (2.01 children/woman) and is increasingly far from the mark of 2.09 children/woman of childbearing age in 2019.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is ranked in the group of 21 provinces and cities with low birth rates. In the context of the city's continued economic growth, high urbanization rate, and increasingly deep international integration, if the low birth rate persists, it will leave many consequences such as rapid population aging, labor shortage, and impact on social security...

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, MSc. Pham Chanh Trung - Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Population Department - commented that the issuance of new regulations in the Population Ordinance is timely, consistent with the practical situation and development trends of society. It can be said that it is time for us to change our approach to population policy - from control to proactive and sustainable population development.

According to Mr. Trung, the slogan "Each couple only has 1 or 2 children" has contributed to controlling the population growth rate, helping the country focus on socio-economic development. However, Vietnam is now entering the "population aging" phase at a rapid pace.

Birth rates in many areas, especially urban areas, are falling, even below replacement levels. Therefore, continuing to maintain this slogan may lead to a shortage of human resources in the future.

"Allowing people to decide for themselves the number, timing and spacing of their children reflects a progressive spirit, in line with human rights and reproductive freedom. This policy moves from "birth management" to "responsible reproductive support", in line with the trend of many developed countries," Mr. Trung emphasized.

It is time to change the approach to population policy - from control to proactive and sustainable population development - Photo: QUANG DINH

"Opening" policy to promote birth promotion

When the slogan "Each family has only 1 to 2 children" was officially abolished, a new chapter opened, responsible birth promotion, to maintain the replacement level of fertility (2.1 children/woman) - the minimum condition to keep the population balanced and maintain the national labor force.

However, the reality is not so simple. In many localities, especially large cities, the birth rate is low or on the decline. According to Dr. Mai Xuan Phuong, former Deputy Director of the Department of Communication and Education, General Department of Population (now the Department of Population, Ministry of Health), the cause does not lie solely in personal decisions but is the result of many intertwined social pressures.

Among them, the three major barriers that make many families hesitate to have more children are financial pressure, and the young generation prioritizing self-development, education, career, and freedom over marriage and having children.

In addition, there is a lack of social support, a lack of necessary factors to support families such as policies to buy houses on installment with low interest rates or affordable rental housing, schools for young children... - factors that make many people feel that having children is too big a "trade-off".

"We do not have a society that is friendly to giving birth and raising children. If society does not support, how can people dare to give birth?", Dr. Phuong commented.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trung also stated that besides abolishing the regulation limiting the number of children born, without a synchronous support policy (reducing child-rearing costs, supporting kindergartens, increasing maternity leave, supporting women's integration into the labor market after giving birth...), it will be difficult to encourage births.

"Economic pressure, living environment and urban lifestyle also cause many young couples to choose to have fewer children or delay having children. Encouraging birth requires synchronous policies to support young couples to get married, get pregnant and have children.

Effective birth promotion solutions must be synchronous between economic support, social welfare, education, health care and changing awareness. Birth promotion is not only about encouraging more children, but more importantly, creating conditions for families who "want to have children - dare to have children - can raise them well" in the modern context," said Mr. Trung.

Dr. Phuong also said that there should be timely financial support, support for screening costs, vaccinations, preschool tuition; preferential loans, social housing for families with many children; building more public kindergartens, quality preschools; encouraging businesses to open internal kindergartens, allowing employees to work flexibly... so that each family can have peace of mind when giving birth.

More support in housing and employment for postpartum women, education for children... is needed for birth promotion to be effective - Photo: QUANG DINH

What is the best age to have children?

Doctor Trinh Nhat Thu Huong, head of the prenatal care department at Tu Du Hospital (HCMC), said that young people are now tending to stabilize their careers, leading to late marriage. This has caused the number of women getting pregnant at an older age to increase compared to 10 years ago.

Dr. Huong shared that the golden period in a woman's reproductive age is from 20 to 25 years old. This is the period when the ovaries develop optimally, with the least abnormalities. One of the optimal factors for having a healthy baby is to get pregnant at a young age.

For older pregnant women (35 years of age and older), the risk of the baby having abnormalities is high.

Specifically, the fetus may have some defects in the direction of chromosomal aneuploidy such as Down syndrome - the most common syndrome related to maternal age, especially when older. In addition, the mother may face many other risks such as miscarriage, premature birth, preeclampsia, overweight...

THU HIEN - DUONG LIEU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-dung-chinh-sach-moi-gia-dinh-chi-duoc-sinh-1-den-2-con-20250605075006395.htm