Expert Proposes State Support for Families Raising Young Children in Vietnam
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu, former director of the Institute of Population and Social Issues at the National Economics University, has proposed that the Vietnamese government should provide support to families raising young children as a solution to increase the replacement fertility rate, local media reported.
The proposal comes in light of the fact that over the 19 years since Vietnam achieved the replacement fertility rate in 2005, there have been 15 years where the birth rate has fallen below this level.
If having children benefits not only the couple and their family but also society by providing human resources, then raising children cannot be solely the family's responsibility, he pointed out, adding that especially when the cost of raising children is increasingly high compared to the income of young couples.
He suggested that the state, families, and society should "join hands in raising and educating children" and diversify ways to share the "cost of raising children" with couples. This could include one-time subsidies, annual allowances, income tax reductions, exemptions, and reductions in community contributions for families with young children, as well as tuition fee exemptions and reductions.
He also emphasized the need for policies to support couples with reproductive assistance and infertility treatment, while noting that annually, over one million couples in Vietnam face infertility, accounting for about 7.7%.
Vietnam achieved its fertility reduction goal in 2005, when the birth rate dropped to approximately 2.1 children per mother (replacement fertility rate) and has maintained this level since then.