Vietnam authorities announced they are officially ending the country's longstanding two-child policy, as the Asian nation struggles with a declining national birthrate.
The announcement was made by state media on Wednesday, where officials revealed that couples will be allowed to make their own decisions about how many children they will have. They are also given the choice of how long to wait between births, which is a significant reversal of a decades-old policy.
Vietnam Ends Longstanding Two-Child Policy
The now-struck policy dates back to the 1960s in communist North Vietnam and was later further developed in the reunified Vietnam in the 1980s and 1990s. While it was not universally enforced, members of the Community party who go against it could face sanctions.
Now, authorities are trying to look for ways to boost families amid Vietnam experiencing national birthrate falling to a record low of 1.91 children per woman in 2024. Officials are now concerned that the trend could result in an aging society, that could lead to labor shortages and other issues, according to The Guardian.
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The issue of declining birthrates is even more pronounced in urban centers, including Ho Chi Minh City. The region is seeing a rising cost of living that has become an obstacle for young families, causing its birthrate to fall to 1.32 in 2023.
Local provinces are now offering various rewards and subsidies to encourage couples to give birth to more children. These include things like certificates of merit and a financial reward of about $38 for women who have two children before they are 35 years old.
Facing a Declining National Birthrate
While Vietnam is not the only Asian country that is suffering from low fertility, as other nations, such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have the same issue, it is still a developing economy, the Associated Press reported.
The country's "golden population" period, which is described as when the working-age people outnumber those who depend on them, started in 2007. It is expected to last until 2039 and officials noted the number of people who can work will peak in 2042.
One resident, 42-year-old Tran Phuong Mai, reacted to the announcement, saying that it could be a good thing but it came a little too late for her. Her husband, 42-year-old Nguyen Manh Hung, resigned from his position as a local government official a decade ago when his wife was pregnant with their third child, which could have gotten him in trouble, as per NPR.
