On July 11, the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the United Nations Population Fund Office in Vietnam, solemnly organized a rally to celebrate World Population Day with the theme "Reproductive autonomy in a changing world".
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| Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan spoke at the event. |
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan emphasized that the viewpoints and orientations of the population work of the Party and State of Vietnam have been clearly affirmed in Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee.
Accordingly, "Population is the most important factor in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland", and at the same time, the policy has shifted its focus from family planning to population and development.
Over the past three decades, since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, Vietnam has achieved many important achievements, actively contributing to the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Population work not only helps control population growth but also contributes to improving the quality of life, narrowing inequality and promoting economic growth. Vietnam is currently in the "golden population structure" period.
The Minister also said that the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people has increased to 74.7 years (in 2024), higher than many countries with the same income level. Reproductive health care services, family planning, premarital counseling, prenatal and neonatal screening for birth defects, as well as elderly care are increasingly being strengthened and improved in quality.
However, besides these achievements, Vietnam is also facing many major challenges. According to the assessment after 7 years of implementing Resolution 21-NQ/TW, the total fertility rate has dropped to the lowest level in the history of our country's demographics and is forecast to continue to decrease in the coming years.
The results of the population change survey in April 2024 showed that the total fertility rate decreased from 2.01 children/woman in 2022 to 1.91 children/woman in 2024. At the same time, the rapid aging of the population is becoming a challenge for sustainable development.
Although the sex ratio at birth has been controlled, it is still higher than the natural balance (111.4 boys/100 girls in 2024). Pregnancy and childbirth among underage women tend to increase, while early marriage and consanguineous marriage in the Central Highlands and Northern Midlands and Mountains are still very high, up to 21.9%.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Health is actively completing the draft Law on Population and building a Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026-2035 with the goal of ensuring social security, health and equality for all people, taking people as the center of sustainable development.
The draft Population Law submitted to the Government and expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the 10th Session in October 2025, proposes many priority contents such as improved maternity leave, financial support in cash or in kind for women giving birth, measures to reduce gender imbalance at birth, priority policies to support social housing, development of human resources for elderly care, pre-marital health check-up consultation, prenatal and neonatal screening and treatment.
Speaking at the rally, Minister Dao Hong Lan called on functional units, ministries and branches that are members of the National Steering Committee on Population and Development, as well as localities to continue to pay attention to directing and closely coordinating in the development and implementation of population policies, and at the same time requested the United Nations, the United Nations Population Fund and international organizations to continue providing financial and technical support for Vietnam to respond to population change and protect reproductive rights.
World Population Day, celebrated on July 11 every year, is an occasion to raise global awareness of population issues, and an opportunity for the world to take pride in progress in health care, gender equality, environmental protection and population quality improvement.
In Vietnam, the right to reproductive autonomy of individuals and couples is respected by law, in accordance with each person's health and conditions.
Mr. Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Department of Population, emphasized that the desire to have two children is still widespread in society. Granting the right to self-determination on reproduction is not only to protect reproductive rights but also to create a favorable environment for each individual and family to realize that desire.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/viet-nam-thuc-day-quyen-sinh-con-va-thich-ung-dan-so-gia-d328362.html
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