Parents tend to rely on school in educating their children, and don’t understand that family plays a very important role in children’s maturity.

While the majority of Vietnamese prohibit their children from having sex at an early age, others are more open and do not consider this to be a moral problem.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese students begin to have lessons about sex education and sexual abuse in the fifth grade, but many teachers think this is too late.

VietNamNet Bridge - Sexual abuse cases discovered recently show that Vietnamese students lack knowledge about the issue and do not know where to go for counseling.

VietNamNet Bridge - Instead of avoiding talking about sex and gender, Vietnamese parents are increasingly providing knowledge on these issues to their children.

Alarmed about the increasing adolescent abortion rate and the average age of the first sexual experience, experts have urged parents to begin giving sex and gender education lessons to their children at an early age.

VietNamNet Bridge - Psychologists say puberty is occurring at an earlier period due to adequate nutritional conditions and environmental effects, and, as a result, sex education lessons at school are necessary.

Under the draft general education program, students would begin receiving sex education from the first grade. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The news that a seventh grader and her parents only knew about her pregnancy on the day she gave birth has rung the alarm bell over Vietnamese students’ lack of sex education.

VietNamNet Bridge - A survey conducted of nearly 1,000 students from secondary schools and Hanoi University showed that 15.2 percent have sent erotic messages and images to others through phones, called ‘sexting’.

VietNamNet Bridge - Some psychologists believe that sex education must start when children are three years old, but some teachers believe that this is not suitable for an Asian country like Vietnam.

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 VietNamNet Bridge – Health experts are warning against increasing unprotected sex activities as young Vietnamese people are becoming more open about sexuality than ever before.

 VietNamNet Bridge – While parents and educators both agree that it is necessary to teach sex education in primary school, they cannot agree on the way to do it.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Straightforward, honest sharing between teachers and students. That, say experts, is the most effective means of helping students confidently approach sex and reproductive health in the right way.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Student psychology is becoming increasingly complex. This fact requires schools to change sex education methods.

 VietNamNet Bridge – No-one in Huu Nghi Hospital in Ha Noi knew that nurse Nguyen Anh Lan was pregnant until she gave birth to her third child early this year.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many parents have left sex education to teachers despite education authorities struggling on how to discuss the topic.   

The policy on saying “no” to pre-marriage sex and the scrutiny kept by parents and teachers are the biggest barriers to the sexual health education to minors.