After the merger, Hanoi is the only locality in the Northern region with the lowest birth rate in history.
According to the latest information from the Department of Population under the Ministry of Health, the picture of birth rates in Vietnam has many remarkable changes after the administrative boundary merger.
In 34 provinces and cities after the merger, 10 localities recorded a birth rate of over 2.3 children/woman, while 8 other localities had a birth rate of less than 1.8 children/woman.
Dien Bien leads in birth rate
After the merger, Dien Bien became the province with the highest birth rate in the country with 2.6 children/woman. Ranked second and third respectively are Tuyen Quang (merged from Ha Giang and the old Tuyen Quang) with 2.55 children/woman and Lao Cai (merged from Yen Bai and the old Lao Cai) with 2.5 children/woman.
Before the merger, these localities also had high birth rates. According to data released by the General Statistics Office at the end of June 2024, Ha Giang was the "champion" with a total birth rate of 2.69 children/woman, while Tuyen Quang had 2.19 children/woman. In the Lao Cai - Yen Bai pair alone, the average birth rates were 2.55 and 2.47 children/woman, respectively.
According to the Department of Population, after the merger, 21/34 provinces and cities achieved a birth rate of over 2.1 children/woman, of which 17 provinces had a birth rate of over 2.2 children and 10 provinces exceeded 2.3 children.
These localities are mainly concentrated from Quang Tri to the North, especially in the northern mountainous areas such as Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, Phu Tho, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Quang Tri.
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi hold the position of having the lowest birth rate.
Regarding the group with low birth rates, Ho Chi Minh City after merging from Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Vung Tau still holds the position of having the lowest birth rate in the country with 1.43 children/woman.
Next is Tay Ninh (imported from Long An and the old Tay Ninh) with 1.52 children/woman and Can Tho (imported from Soc Trang, Hau Giang and the old Can Tho) with 1.55 children/woman.
Notably, Hanoi is the only locality in the Northern region with a low birth rate of less than 2 children per woman at 1.86 children. This figure continues to decrease by 0.02 compared to 2023, creating the lowest birth rate in the capital in history.
According to the latest data from the General Statistics Office, the fertility rate in Vietnam in 2024 is 1.91 children/woman, down 0.05 compared to 2023. Vietnam's fertility rate is forecast to continue to decrease in the coming time.
In order to encourage childbirth, before July 1, many localities have issued specific support policies. In particular, Ho Chi Minh City has made a list of 3 million VND in support for women who give birth to 2 children before the age of 35.
For special subjects, pregnant women and newborns from poor, near-poor households, social protection households or living in island communes will be supported with prenatal and newborn screening with a total amount of 2 million VND. Specifically, 600,000 VND for prenatal screening, 400,000 VND for newborn screening and 1 million VND in direct support.
