Could financial support for families with two daughters help change Vietnam’s preference for sons? Experts say it may help, but only as part of a much broader strategy.

"Young people do not fear marriage or want to avoid responsibility; they are simply weighing the values of marriage against the pressures and risks of modern life," Trinh Phuong Thao from Hanoi National University of Education has said.

There was a time when getting married before age 30 was considered an inevitable milestone for everyone. But that view is changing rapidly.

Reports from several localities show that family pressure, lineage expectations and a “risk-buffer” mindset are prompting many couples to seek prenatal sex selection, according to the Ministry of Health.

As an increasing number of young people are delaying marriage, the issue has ceased to be merely a personal decision for individuals or couples and has become a national demographic challenge.

The Ministry of Health has proposed providing people aged 40 and above with knowledge, practical skills to prepare for old age under a draft circular guiding the implementation of the National Target Programme on Healthcare, Population & Development.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has proposed honoring couples and individuals who have two children in 10 localities where fertility rates have fallen below the national average.

As Vietnam moves toward an ageing society, experts are urging the government to expand social pension coverage by lowering the qualifying age to 65.

Vietnam's Ministry of Health has proposed tuition waivers and other incentives for families with two daughters as part of efforts to address the country's persistent gender imbalance at birth.

Vietnam is considering wider childbirth incentives, including monthly payments for young children and support for pregnant women and mothers who have two children.

Vietnam's ageing population is accelerating, with new forecasts showing the country will transition out of its demographic dividend earlier than expected.

Six provinces are forecast to become the first in Vietnam to record negative population growth, while Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City continue expanding for now.

The Ministry of Health has identified delayed marriage among young adults as one of the country's most pressing demographic challenges.

A new official report warns Vietnam's shortage of women of marriageable age will continue to grow, peaking at around 1.3 million by 2049.

Vietnam will provide financial support for women having two children before age 35 under a new decree.

In addition to women who give birth to two children before the age of 35, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has proposed expanding financial support to two additional groups, with a minimum payment of VND2 million (US$80) per childbirth.

Population aging is no longer seen as a social welfare burden, but as a potential new economic space. HCMC is positioning the development of a silver economy ecosystem as a strategy to maintain competitiveness and create new growth drivers.

Under a medium-fertility scenario, Vietnam’s population is expected to continue growing for several decades before reaching a peak around mid-century, followed by a transition toward slower growth or stability.

Vietnam’s golden population window is projected to close by 2036, making the most of this demographic advantage a vital factor in driving economic growth and national competitiveness.