Vietnam may have to import brides from Africa.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tan, former Deputy Director General of the General Department of Population and Family Planning, Vietnam's population is facing three major challenges, including gender imbalance at birth.

Mr. Tan stated that only 15 countries in the world experience gender imbalance at birth, mainly concentrated in East Asia, South Asia, some Central Asian countries, and one Central European country, Albania. Vietnam is the only representative from Southeast Asia among them.

Considering all of Asia, Vietnam ranks second only to China with a ratio of 117-118 boys per 100 girls. The record in the world's most populous country once reached nearly 140/100.

Vietnam may have to import brides from Africa.

While the aforementioned countries all experienced gender imbalance at birth since the 1980s, Vietnam only began to do so in 2006. However, over the past 15 years, Vietnam has been unable to control it; on the contrary, it has continued to increase.

In 2006, the sex ratio at birth in Vietnam was 109 boys per 100 girls. In 2013, it increased to 113.8/100, further rising to 114.9/100 in 2018, and slightly decreasing to 111.5/100 in 2019. In India, the world's second most populous country, this ratio is only 110-111/100.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, the natural birth rate is always between 102-107 boys per 100 girls, and by adulthood, this ratio will naturally balance out to 100/100 due to the higher mortality rate among boys compared to girls.

From 2033 onwards, Vietnam will begin to face the consequences of the gender imbalance at birth. (Illustrative image)

"If Vietnam does not implement solutions to control the gender imbalance at birth, by 2050 there will be 3-4.3 million men who will be unable to find wives. That is certain," Mr. Tan warned.

Mr. Tan analyzed that the average age of marriage for Vietnamese men is currently 27.1 years old, meaning that from 2033 onwards, a shortage of women will occur and will continue to accumulate year after year.

How did countries that experienced this situation earlier than us deal with it? They imported brides.

“Currently, China is the largest market for importing brides into Vietnam. In Taiwan, there are over 130,000 Vietnamese brides, and in South Korea, the number is over 85,000. But when it comes to us, we don't see any market for importing them from anywhere. You need money to buy them, but ordinary families don't have that kind of money, so some people say that perhaps in the future, Vietnam will have to import brides from Africa,” Mr. Tan said.

The act of sex selection of unborn children will be severely punished.

Mr. Tan assessed that the gender imbalance at birth is a consequence of underestimating women and the introduction of technologies for sex selection of fetuses.

"With scientific advancements, there are now techniques that allow for the detection of fetal sex as early as the first or second week of pregnancy, leading to an increase in the number of female fetuses being aborted. We must prevent the importation of technologies solely aimed at determining fetal sex," Mr. Tan worried.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tan. Photo: Thuy Hanh

Mr. Tan cited South Korea as an example, where the gender imbalance at birth was quite severe, reaching as high as 140 boys per 100 girls in some areas, but after 15 years, the country has successfully controlled it, bringing the ratio down to 106 boys per 100 girls.

"When asked about South Korea's experience, they said that it was due to successfully improving the status of women, giving them more financial independence, more decision-making power, and inheritance rights like sons," Mr. Tan said.

In South Korea, during the late 20th century, there were numerous slogans such as: "Raising one daughter is worth ten sons," and "Love your daughters." Over time, these slogans became deeply ingrained in people's consciousness, ending the patriarchal mindset that valued sons over daughters.

In Vietnam, Mr. Tan stated that the Population Law, currently under review, strictly prohibits sex selection of fetuses in any form. Violators will face severe penalties, including the permanent revocation of their professional licenses.