Vietnam has officially scrapped its decades-old two-child policy in an effort to counter declining birth rates and an aging population. However, many citizens—especially working-class parents and young professionals—say the policy change is unlikely to spark a surge in births unless broader economic and social support follows.
Pharmacy worker Nguyen Thi Nguyet Nga, a mother of two, said she has no intention of having a third child. Earning just $300 a month and living far from her daughters, she said she can’t afford to raise another child. “I don’t earn enough for the two girls to have a good life… so why would I have another child?” Nga said, echoing a sentiment common among families across the country.
Introduced in 1988, Vietnam’s two-child policy has been loosely enforced in recent years. Its formal removal comes amid falling fertility rates—now at 1.91 children per woman in 2024, below the replacement level. Yet experts and citizens alike say rising costs of living, shifting cultural values, and lack of work-life balance are greater barriers to population growth than government policy alone.
University student Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, 18, expressed similar caution, saying she plans to have one or two children after achieving financial stability and a career. “I want to balance work, childcare, and also have time to take care of myself,” she said.
Even families with more resources, like office worker Tran Thi Thu Trang in Haiphong, struggle after having more than two children. Although she can afford a nanny, she emphasized the need for better healthcare, tuition support, and salary increases if the government wants families to consider expanding.
The United Nations Population Fund welcomed the end of the two-child limit but warned that policy change alone is insufficient. To influence real change, Vietnam must invest in family-friendly workplace policies, affordable childcare, and gender equality.
Many believe it could take five to ten years before attitudes shift—if at all. Until then, economic realities and personal aspirations are likely to keep family sizes small.
