Overview

• National Assembly Standing Committee approved the repeal on June 3, granting couples full autonomy over when, how many, and the spacing of their children.
• Total fertility rate fell to 1.91 children per woman in 2024—the third straight year below the replacement level—with the steepest declines in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
• Health Ministry proposal would raise the penalty for fetal gender selection to $3,800 in a bid to address the 112 boys to 100 girls ratio at birth.
• Ho Chi Minh City authorities have introduced financial incentives for couples who have a second child before age 35 to encourage earlier family growth.
• Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong warned that sustained low fertility and an ageing workforce could undermine Vietnam’s long-term socioeconomic development.