Young families are afraid to have children
World Population Day (July 11) 2026 with the theme "Joining hands to realize the aspirations of youth for a bright future" continues to emphasize the role of population in the sustainable development of each locality.
In Vinh Long, the general fertility rate currently only reaches 1.6 children/woman. In many central wards, there are only about 1.5 children left, significantly lower than the recommended replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children/woman.
Reduced birth rates reflect the trend of late marriage and delayed childbirth of many young couples. If the situation persists, the rate of population aging will increase, affecting the scale and quality of the province's human resources.
Having been married for more than a year, Mr. N.Q. D. (32 years old, Binh Minh ward) has not yet considered having children. He said that the couple wants to accumulate more financial resources because living expenses and raising children are increasing.
Ms. L.T. T. T (31 years old, Phuoc Hau ward) believes that for young people to feel secure in getting married and having children, the province needs to have synchronous support policies on health, education, housing and personal income tax reduction.
According to her, the important thing is not to encourage early marriage or having many children, but to create a good living and educational environment so that families can feel secure in raising their children. At the same time, it is necessary to innovate communication on social networks to spread positive messages to young people.
According to Ms. Truc, communication activities also need to be innovated, effectively utilizing social media platforms to spread positive messages about marriage, family and the responsibility to have two children.
Synchronous growth promotion solutions
Faced with the low birth rate, the new Population Law and Decree 168/2026/ND-CP are expected to create motivation for couples to have enough two children, while improving population quality and human resources.
According to new regulations, female workers are entitled to a seven-month maternity leave, male workers are entitled to ten working days when their wives give birth. Women who have two children before the age of 35 are also supported with many practical policies.
Over the past time, the Vinh Long health sector has synchronously implemented many solutions. In Thanh Duc ward, the content of having two children, premarital health check-ups and prenatal screening is integrated into community activities.
In Phuoc Hau ward, pre-marital clubs and thematic counseling activities help young people equip themselves with knowledge about reproductive health, preparing well before getting married and having children.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Dr. Ho Thi Thu Hang - Director of Vinh Long Provincial Department of Health - said that the prolonged decrease in birth rates not only increases the rate of population aging but also puts pressure on labor shortages in the future.
To concretize the Population Law, the Department of Health has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a Plan to ensure the replacement fertility rate by 2030, develop specialized resolutions on population, promote communication in the press, social networks and promote the role of grassroots collaborators.
With the involvement of the entire political system and synchronous support policies, Vinh Long expects to gradually increase the replacement fertility rate, improve population quality and create a human resource foundation for sustainable development," Ms. Hang added.
