According to the Department of Population under the Ministry of Health, 25 out of 34 provinces and centrally governed cities have issued plans to implement programmes aimed at maintaining replacement-level fertility, while the remaining nine are drafting plans for submission to their respective provincial People’s Committees for consideration and approval.
In addition, eight out of 34 provinces and centrally governed cities have issued resolutions and regulations on population policies. Of these, five localities have introduced reward and support policies to encourage couples to have two children and maintain replacement-level fertility.
In Tay Ninh, the local authorities have spent nearly 20 billion VND rewarding communes with good birth rates and providing support to more than 4,500 women who have had two children. Similarly, Dong Nai and Hai Phong have also allocated billions of dong from their budgets to policies encouraging childbearing.
In Ho Chi Minh City, as of July 1, women are to receive a minimum cash payment of 2 million VND for each childbirth; those who have two children before the age of 35 may receive a further 5 million VND.
Can Tho, Da Nang, and many other provinces and cities have also introduced measures to encourage childbearing, which have achieved positive results.
However, many localities continue to face difficulties in implementing population policies, including measures to encourage childbearing. According to the Department of Population, provinces must balance their own budgets to fund such policies. This has created difficulties for some localities with limited revenues. In Dien Bien, for example, more than 90% of the provincial budget comes from central government support, making it difficult to allocate separate funding for population policies.
Many localities have also yet to adopt dedicated resolutions, instead incorporating population-related measures into emulation campaigns or socio-economic development programmes. As a result, implementation has been inconsistent, while incentives to encourage childbearing remain modest or virtually negligible. Meanwhile, regulations developed in previous periods are no longer fully aligned with the new direction of the Population Law that is currently being implemented.
In terms of funding, the upcoming 2026-2035 National Target Programme on Healthcare, Population and Development (The first phase: 2026-2030) will prioritise the allocation of central government funding to mountainous, border, and island areas, as well as localities facing difficult or particularly difficult socio-economic conditions. These areas will therefore have additional resources to implement population policies, including measures to encourage childbearing.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said young people were not turning their backs on marriage, but an increasing number were choosing to postpone it because of financial pressures. Even after getting married, they often delay having children because of financial concerns. While the state is encouraging childbearing through various forms of support for childbirth, the costs of raising children afterwards are also a factor that families must consider.
In this regard, the Ministry of Health is currently seeking comments on a draft circular guiding new population policies. A key proposal is to allow local authorities to use their budgets to provide monthly cash support for children from birth until they reach 36 months of age.
The draft also expands other support packages, including lunch subsidies for preschool children and direct rewards for women who fulfil their childbearing target before the age of 35. This represents the latest effort to reverse Viet Nam’s prolonged and sharp decline in fertility.
In addition, the Ministry of Health’s draft aims to achieve a more balanced sex ratio at birth and improve the quality of the population. Local authorities will develop reward policies for families with two daughters, while providing tuition exemptions or reductions and health insurance support for girls in disadvantaged areas. Vulnerable groups and poor households will also receive free prenatal and newborn screening, as well as contraception and regular healthcare services.
Once the circular is officially issued, provincial departments of health will directly advise their respective people’s councils on approving specific spending levels, ensuring that they are appropriate to local budgets and the needs of residents.
Population experts say cash assistance is an urgent support measure, but its effectiveness depends largely on the availability of public service infrastructure and the stability of the economy in each country. Financial support is a “necessary” factor in reducing the financial burden of raising children, while the “sufficient” conditions lie in policies that promote work-life balance and gender equality in childcare.
According to data from the Department of Population, Viet Nam’s total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen sharply from 6.4 children per woman in 1960 to 1.83 in 2025, well below the replacement fertility level of 2.1 children per woman. This is the lowest level ever recorded in Viet Nam’s demographic history.
