Vietnam Lifts the Two-Child Limit, But Families Continue to Refuse to Have More Children

Vietnam’s long-standing two-child policy, which had been in effect since 1988, has been formally abandoned in an attempt to address the issues brought on by an aging population and fight a declining birthrate. Families can now freely choose how many children to have since the government has removed all restrictions on the number of children that couples can have.

Vietnam’s birthrate has been steadily declining over recent years, falling from about 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to a record low of 1.91 in 2024, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population. This decline is most pronounced in urban areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where living costs are higher. The country faces the risk of an aging population and shrinking workforce, which could threaten its long-term economic and social development

The government knows that eliminating the two-child limit alone might not be enough to stop the trend. In certain cities, initiatives to encourage higher birth rates are being implemented, including dating programs, childbirth-promoting advertising campaigns, and financial incentives like baby bonuses. Larger families are still discouraged by societal and economic factors, such as the high cost of living and shifting family norms.

Many Vietnamese families do not intend to have any more children in spite of this policy change. For instance, Nguyen Thi Nguyet Nga, a pharmacy employee, stated that she has no plans to have more than two children because of her limited resources and inability to devote enough time to raising her daughters. She emphasized that she hardly has time to visit her current children, who live with their distant grandparents, and that raising children is costly. In a similar vein, other parents express worries about the high expense of raising children and the wish to raise fewer children with high-quality education. for more visit here