In recent years, the trend of late marriage is becoming a reality among Vietnamese youth. Not only affected by financial pressure, many young people are also hesitant to decide to get married because of concerns about career, reproductive health, family responsibilities and psychological barriers.
Reality shows that the age of first marriage for Vietnamese youth is increasing rapidly. According to statistics from the Statistics Office, in 1999, the average age of first marriage was 24.1 years old.
By 2019, this number increased to 25.2 years old, which is only an increase of 1.1 years old after 20 years. However, in the period 2019-2024 alone, the average marriage age increased by 2.1 years, to 27.3 years old.
In many large cities and provinces in the Southeast region, Mekong Delta, men often get married after the age of 30, while many women also start families at the age of 28-29.
According to Master Nguyen Minh Duyen, a psychologist at the NHC Vietnam Center for Human Development and Psychology, the trend of delaying marriage not only stems from economic pressures but also reflects changes in the lifestyle and value system of the younger generation.
Regarding life views, young people today tend to value experience, want to explore the world and especially value freedom. Therefore, when thinking about marriage, many people develop a psychology of wanting to procrastinate because they are worried that their personal life will be bound.
In addition, the belief system about marriage also has a great influence on young people's decisions. People who grow up in families lacking emotional cohesion or have witnessed unhappy marriages with parents easily develop a psychology of hesitation.
According to experts, psychological "scars" from childhood or family breakdowns and relationships around may make many people believe that marriage is synonymous with hurt and unhappiness.
In addition to psychological factors, actual pressure is also an important reason. Living costs are increasing, and house prices are constantly escalating, making many young people feel that they do not have enough conditions to build a family. Many people are also in the stage of career development and are worried that marriage will affect their career path.
The pressure of "food and clothing" also makes many people hesitate before deciding to get married. Having to ensure a stable life for themselves and their children in the future creates a significant burden. Besides, there is the fear of having to trade careers and personal relationships when taking on new roles such as being a wife, husband or parent.
According to experts, many young people are also worried that they do not have enough skills to resolve conflicts arising in married life. They are afraid that when facing conflicts or coldness in love, they will not know how to overcome them.
In general, to understand the behavior of delaying marriage of young people, we need to have an objective and comprehensive view. This is not simply an evasion of responsibility, but the result of many intertwined factors, from life views, personal experiences to the pressures of modern society," Master Nguyen Minh Duyen assessed.
