To encourage people in provinces and cities with low fertility rates to have children, the Ministry of Health has proposed recognizing and honoring couples and individuals who have two children in 10 localities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.

The proposal is included in a draft circular providing guidance on several components of the National Target Program on Healthcare, Population and Development for 2026-2035, with its first phase running from 2026 to 2030.

According to 2024 data from the national statistics agency, 10 provinces and cities currently have fertility rates below the national average. Hanoi is the only northern locality on the list.

In 2024, women of reproductive age in Hanoi had an average of just 1.86 children, below replacement level and the lowest rate recorded in the capital’s population statistics. Births continued to decline in the first six months of 2026, with more than 37,600 babies born, nearly 2,900 fewer than in the same period a year earlier, according to the Hanoi Sub-department of Population, Children and Social Evils Prevention.

The other nine localities are Khanh Hoa, with 1.82 children per woman; Dong Nai, 1.79; An Giang, 1.74; Dong Thap, 1.71; Vinh Long, 1.6; Ca Mau, 1.58; Can Tho, 1.55; Tay Ninh, 1.52; and Ho Chi Minh City, 1.43.

The Ministry of Health said Vietnam’s fertility rate has fallen below replacement level and is likely to decline further. From 2.11 children per woman in 2021, the rate dropped to a record low of 1.91 in 2024 before edging up to 1.93 in 2025. Data from 34 provinces and cities show that the figure is estimated to have risen to 1.96 children per woman in the first six months of 2026.

The Population Department forecasts that Vietnam will face difficulties meeting its target of maintaining replacement-level fertility nationwide by 2030. Prolonged low fertility, meanwhile, will directly affect the country’s population size and structure and could have wide-ranging consequences, including labor shortages, population decline, accelerated population aging and increased migration.

The Ministry of Health’s draft proposes launching a campaign encouraging couples and individuals to have two children. At the national level, the campaign would be launched nationwide, with exemplary participants recognized and honored in 2027 and 2029.

At the provincial and municipal level, such activities would be held annually, alongside communication campaigns, seminars, policy dialogues, contests, festivals and other appropriate forms of outreach aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of having two children and families’ responsibility in helping maintain replacement-level fertility.

The Population Department recently said five localities have introduced financial incentives and support policies to address low fertility and encourage families to have two children. Ho Chi Minh City offers a one-time payment of approximately US$190 to women who have two children before the age of 35; Hai Phong provides about US$115; Tay Ninh about US$76; while Dong Nai and Dong Thap each provide about US$38.

Some localities also offer rewards to communes and wards that achieve or exceed a target under which 60% of couples of reproductive age have two children for three or five consecutive years. Tay Ninh offers the highest rewards, at approximately US$7,600-11,400, followed by Ho Chi Minh City at US$1,140-2,280, Dong Thap at US$1,140-1,900 and Dong Nai at US$760-1,520.

Vo Thu