Overview

• The National Assembly approved the removal of the two-child cap on June 4, granting couples full autonomy over family size and birth spacing.
• Vietnam’s total fertility rate has declined from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 1.91 in 2024, and officials project the working-age population will peak around 2042 before mid-century contraction.
• Rising living costs and shifting societal priorities, particularly in urban centres like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, leave many couples reluctant to expand their families.
• Certain provinces are offering financial incentives—such as a VND 30 million ($1,150) bonus to communes meeting childbearing targets—to encourage higher birth rates.
• To address a skewed sex ratio of about 112 boys for every 100 girls, the Health Ministry has proposed tripling fines for sex-selective abortions to roughly $3,800.