Support pregnant women, giving birth and giving birth to 2 children

The trend of low and very low birth rates is concentrated in some urban areas, where the socio-economic conditions are developed and urbanization is high. Prolonged low birth rates will leave many consequences such as rapid population aging, labor shortage, and impact on social security.

The Ministry of Health has proposed a number of measures to support women in giving birth and having two children.

The Ministry of Health said that in localities that have reached the replacement level and have low birth rates, it is necessary to focus on prioritizing the immediate implementation of tasks and solutions to mobilize, support and encourage people to have 2 children; adjust and improve support and encouragement policies for having 2 children: abolish regulations of organizations, agencies, units and communities related to the goal of reducing births and criteria for reducing the number of children born to 3 or more; amend and supplement support and encouragement policies for couples to have 2 children based on analysis; assess the impact of policies on labor, employment, housing, social welfare, education, health care... on having few children; develop and implement appropriate intervention models.

Local authorities research and issue measures to support couples who have two children as follows:

Support counseling, provide marriage and family services: support young men and women to make friends, health counseling before marriage, encourage marriage before 30 years old, do not marry late and have children early, women have a second child before 35 years old...

Building an environment and community suitable for families with young children: focus on planning and building childcare centers and kindergartens suitable for parents' conditions, especially in economic zones, industrial zones, and urban areas.

Support women during pregnancy, childbirth and giving birth to two children: counseling, maternal and child health care including infertility screening, prenatal and postnatal screening, malnutrition prevention; facilitating women's return to work after childbirth; reducing personal income tax; exempting and reducing household public contributions.

Support and encourage couples to have 2 children: buy social housing, rent housing; give priority to public schools, support children's education costs...

Building a model for managing and developing family economy…; gradually piloting measures to increase social and community contribution responsibilities for individuals who do not want to get married or get married too late.

According to the Ministry of Health, a number of provinces and cities in areas with low birth rates and replacement birth rates have issued support and incentive policies for groups and individuals such as: commending and rewarding groups in communes, wards, towns, villages, hamlets, and residential groups that achieve and exceed the rate of couples of childbearing age giving birth to two children; providing financial or in-kind support; supporting one-time medical expenses (giving birth) for women who give birth to two children before the age of 35; supporting tuition reduction from preschool to high school in the national education system.

Most recently, in the Population Bill, expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval in October 2025, the Ministry of Health has also researched and included a number of contents to support and encourage groups and individuals to perform well in population work.

The total fertility rate nationwide is on a downward trend: 1.96 children/woman (2023) - the lowest decline since 2006 and is forecast to continue to decrease in the following years.

The Southeast is the region with the highest per capita income in the country, but has the lowest birth rate in the country: on average each woman gives birth to 1.47 children.

There are 21/63 provinces and cities with low birth rates, accounting for about 39.37% of the country's population. Most of them are provinces and cities located in the key economic region of the southern region, with high urbanization and rapid economic growth.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ho-tro-phu-nu-mang-thai-sinh-con-va-sinh-du-2-con-185240817210308092.htm