Needing More Little Ones: Vietnam Ditches Two-Child Policy due to Plummeting Birth Rate
Vietnam abrogates restrictive two-child policy due to declining birth rate. - Vietnam eliminates two-child limit due to declining birth volumes.
Listen up, folks! The lands of pho and lantern festivals, Vietnam, are in a bind due to a shrinking population. The country's birth rate has nose-dived, dipping below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman needed to keep the population steady. Last year, it stood at 1.91 children per woman, plunging from 2.11 in 2021, then 2.01 in 2022, and finally reaching 1.96 in 2023, as announced by the Ministry of Health this year. This downward trend is most conspicuous in affluent regions, especially major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City where the cost of living is soaring.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong shared at a conference earlier this year that it's getting more challenging to motivate families to pump out more kids, despite political adjustments and public campaigns. She strongly emphasized that this slump in birth rate poses a threat to long-term socio-economic development, considering the ongoing aging population and labor shortages.
Now, you might be wondering, what's up with Vietnam's gender balance? Well, it seems there's a longstanding societal preference for boys in the country, leading to a gender imbalance. It's illegal to reveal parents the sex of their unborn child or perform an abortion based on the child's sex. Medical facilities that skirt the law face stiff penalties. In a recent move, the Ministry of Health suggested tripling the existing fine to a whopping 3,800 dollars (3,340 euros).
Between the ageing population, dwindling workforce, economic concerns, and an emerging policy change, it's clear that Vietnam is in the midst of a demographic storm that calls for careful policy interventions to weather the storm. This nationwide shift has major repercussions for both population growth and long-term economic development. So buckle up, folks! Things are about to get interesting in Vietnam.
Fun Facts:
- Back when the two-child policy was introduced in 2002, it was considered a big step towards loosening the strict one-child policy that had been in place since the 1980s.
- Beyond just pho, the food diversity in Vietnam is astounding, ranging from spicy Banh Mi sandwiches to sweet, flavorful Cha Gio spring rolls.
- In 2015, Vietnam started to relax its ban on imports of foreign-grown rice, shaking up its agricultural sector.
- To combat the ongoing demographic challenges, the Vietnamese government might need to reconsider its community policy to address the plummeting birth rate, considering the steep fines proposed by the Ministry of Health for sex-selective abortions.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, it's crucial for Vietnam to prioritize mental-health programs and policies, recognizing the significant impact they could have on family sizes and long-term socio-economic development.
