Vietnam may fail to reach its target for birth rate reduction this year, as the country witnesses a sharp increase in births.
Deputy Head of the General Department for Population and Family Planning Nguyen Van Tan made the announcement at a meeting to mark World Population Day (July 11).
Vietnam may fail to reach its target for birth rate reduction this year, as the country witnesses a sharp increase in births
More third children
In the first five months of the year, Vietnam added 500,000 newborns to its population, up 13.5% from last year. The number of the third child increased about 20% compared to the same period of last year.
“Many Vietnamese couples want a child born during this year, especially males. Based on the statistics from the first five months, we expect it will be difficult to hit our reduction targets," Tan added.
DTiNews reporters who canvassed clinics on Thai Thinh and Nguyen Du streets, as well as the National Hospital of Obstetrics, found that many pregnant women having their third child are asking for ultrasounds to find out if it will be a boy.
Mrs. T.T.V in Nghe An Province is now in the 37th week of pregnancy of her third child. Her eldest daughter is 19 and the second is six years old. However, she and her husband were intent to have a boy this year.
Between January and May, the sex ratio in Vietnam was 113 boys to 100 girls. In some localities the ratio was as high as 130 boys for every 100 girls. For couples having their third child the national ratio is 120 boys to 100 girls.
According to Tan, the top ten cities and localities witnessing the highest gender imbalance are Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Nam Dinh, Hoa Binh, Haiphong, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh and Vinh Phuc.
Difference in gender ratio between urban and rural areas
Last year the gender gap was at 109.7 boys for every 100 girls for first-borns, but in urban areas the gap was larger. For second-borns the rate was relatively equal. Tan said that this reflected that people in urban areas pay more attention to sex selection for the first-born, while those in rural areas are more concerned for their second child.
The disparity in the gender ratio between urban and rural areas has also been attributed to the fact that more women know their children’s gender before giving birth to the third.