In 10 years, Nghe An recorded more than 2,000 cases of child marriage.
With a large area and a large population of ethnic minorities, the situation of child marriage in Nghe An remains complicated. Over the past 10 years, the province has recorded 2,094 cases of child marriage, leading to many social and legal consequences.
Worrying situation
Ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Nghe An province account for 36% of the population, equivalent to more than 1.2 million people. Before July 1, 2025, ethnic minority and mountainous areas had 131 communes and 588 hamlets and villages in difficult conditions. After July 1, 2025, ethnic minority and mountainous areas have 62 communes, of which 21 are border communes with 305 hamlets and villages. In recent years, the situation of child marriage in the province has remained complicated.
Luong Minh (formerly Tuong Duong district) is a remote, extremely disadvantaged commune located on the Nam Non river. The whole commune has 10 villages, 1,169 households, 5,310 people, mainly Thai, Kho Mu, O Du ethnic groups. Due to the terrain with many hills, rivers, and streams, traveling between villages is very difficult, including 2 villages Ca Moong and Xop Chao located on hills rising in the middle of Ban Ve hydroelectric lake.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Luong Minh Commune said: Although the work of propaganda, education and dissemination of laws to people is always carried out regularly by all levels and sectors. However, due to the difficult traffic, people's lives still face many difficulties, and low educational level, the problem of child marriage is always complicated.
Tam Quang commune was merged from Tam Quang and Tam Dinh communes of Tuong Duong district (old). The commune has 18 villages, mainly inhabited by Thai, Kho Mu, Tay Pong, Dan Lai people, the risk of child marriage is always present.
Ms. Lo Thi Huyen - a judicial officer of Tam Quang commune said: There are cases where the children are still young, and the family knows that they are not old enough to get married, but they still organize the wedding, perform a ceremony, and bring them to live together. Only when they are old enough do they officially register their marriage.
According to Ms. Huyen, although the inspection data shows no cases of early marriage, in reality, there are still about 6-7 cases in the area where mothers register their children's birth before they are 18 years old.
In Tri Le commune (a locality merged from Tri Le and Nam Nhoong communes of the old Que Phong district), child marriage has long been a matter of concern. Because many "childish couples" get married and then go to the South to work, and after giving birth, they send their children back to their parents in the countryside to take care of.
The report of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions shows that, although the rate of child marriage has decreased over the years, the level is still high and the risk of recurrence is constant. Worryingly, in many places, the age of child marriage is getting younger, from 13-14 years old. In the past 10 years, 2,094 cases of child marriage have been recorded. The highest number was 309 cases in 2021; 295 cases in 2022; 230 cases in 2023; 108 cases in 2024 and up to this point in 2025, 95 cases have been recorded. Not to mention, among these, there are up to 87 cases of incestuous marriage.
Many related legal consequences
Child marriage not only has social consequences but also leads to many related legal consequences. In particular, when couples have children in early marriage, even if it is hidden, when registering the child's birth, the violation will be exposed.
Captain Nguyen Van Hung - Chief of Luong Minh Commune Police shared: In some cases, people still clearly understand the legal regulations related to the age of marriage, but because of the mentality of wanting to get their children married early, they still violate the law. To circumvent the law, they let their children live together, but do not understand that, if they give birth, the son is at high risk of facing criminal prosecution for the crime of "having sex with a minor"...
Not only that, the birth registration for children born from early marriages is often more complicated. Although according to the law, parents who are not old enough to get married still have the right to register their child's birth when they are born. However, the child's birth certificate will only record the mother's name, leaving the father's name blank and identifying the surname, ethnicity, hometown, and nationality according to the mother's surname, ethnicity, hometown, and nationality.
In case the father's name is wanted on the birth certificate, the father and mother must simultaneously carry out a number of procedures (submit an application; evidence proving the relationship between father, mother and child; or a declaration about the relationship between father, mother and child...). This is a complicated and costly process that can cause mental trauma to both parents and children.
The Law on Marriage and Family stipulates that men must be 20 years old and women must be 18 years old to get married. At the same time, early marriage is strictly prohibited under this law. Violators may be subject to administrative sanctions or even criminal prosecution...
However, in reality, the number of strict handling cases is still very small, which causes many families to "circumvent the law" by organizing weddings, performing rituals, bringing their daughter-in-law and son-in-law to live together, considering them husband and wife, only waiting until they are of age to officially register.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung - Head of Policy Department, Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions said: In recent years, all levels, sectors and localities have implemented many solutions to reduce the situation of early marriage and consanguineous marriage in ethnic minority areas. Of which, 14 pilot models have been organized in communes and schools. However, this situation is still complicated.
According to Mr. Hung, to minimize the situation of early marriage, we shouldThere must be drastic solutions to limit the situation of leniency in handling violations. Cases of early marriage and childbearing, violations of the law need to be resolved transparently. In addition, investing in economic development; expanding pilot models; signing commitments to not marry early; improving people's knowledge, creating learning opportunities for children in mountainous areas are also the root solutions to the situation of early marriage.
It can be seen that early marriage is not only a matter of custom and tradition but also a legal and social issue, leaving long-term consequences. Only when life is improved, children are fully educated and the law is strictly enforced, can we hope that early marriage will be eliminated, opening up a better future for the young generation of ethnic minorities.