Falling birth rate, HCMC faces many challenges

Afraid of marriage, afraid of having children

Currently, in Vietnam, especially in large provinces and cities, the age of marriage is increasing sharply, the marriage rate is decreasing, and the birth rate is low. For nearly 2 years now, the birth rate of women has decreased to 1.96 children and has not reached the replacement level (2.1 children/woman). The average age of first marriage of Vietnamese youth is getting later and later, currently at 27.2 years old, an increase of 2 years compared to 2019.

Ho Chi Minh City continues to be ranked in the group of 21 provinces and cities with low birth rates nationwide. Many young people give reasons for "fear of marriage, fear of having children" such as not being mentally prepared, economic pressure...

Five years ago, when Nguyen Minh Trung (now 27 years old, a chef at a restaurant in District 1) graduated from university, he planned to get married after three years of working, but until now, he still feels insecure about married life.

"Every day, I have to work 8-10 hours, not to mention working overtime. Due to the nature of my job, I still have to work even on holidays, so when I have free time, I just want to rest and feel like I rarely have time for my girlfriend," said Mr. Trung.

Ms. Le Hong An (30 years old, doing business in Binh Thanh district) said that she got married 4 years ago, and currently her family only has a 2-year-old son. "Both families really like having many grandchildren, so over the years, my grandparents have suggested having more children, but I'm not ready because each time I give birth, my work will be interrupted for a while, so I don't want to have more children. Instead, I will focus on taking care of my son as best I can," Ms. An shared.

Ms. An also added that due to the nature of her work, she and her husband have to send their son to her parents' care. Only on weekends can they pick him up. "Previously, my husband and I had to spend tens of millions of dong on food and living expenses for the family. Now we are spending more money on milk, diapers, vaccinations, and food for our child. There are months when the baby coughs, and my husband and I have to arrange time to take him to the hospital for continuous check-ups. Not to mention that we are also gradually paying off the house... There are many expenses each month that give my husband and I a headache," Ms. An confided.

Many challenges when birth rate decreases

Many population experts also believe that having two children has become a "thirst" for the population sector in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to the birth promotion policy, there should also be support policies to meet the actual needs. If having 2-3 children, how will they be prioritized and supported - because the prerequisite still depends on the economic capacity of each family.

In a developing economy, with high urbanization rate and increasing international integration, the low birth rate in Ho Chi Minh City, if prolonged, can cause many consequences later.

Mr. Pham Chanh Trung, Director of the Branch of Population - Family Planning of Ho Chi Minh City - said that if the current low birth rate in Ho Chi Minh City continues, it will leave many consequences such as rapid population aging, labor shortage, and impact on social security... The decision to implement a population policy in the direction of promoting births needs to be carefully considered.