Hanoi (VNA) - ✨Director of the Vietnam Population Authority under the Ministry of Health Le Thanh Dung has emphasised that the country’s population achievements help spur socio-economic development.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the Vietnam Population Day (December 26), the official said population efforts have achieved significant milestones, particularly in curbing rapid population growth. The country reached the replacement-level fertility in 2006 and maintained it through 2021. The population growth rate decreased to 0.85% in 2023 from 3.93% in 1960, with the population reaching 100.3 million, ranking third in Southeast Asia, eighth in Asia, and fifteenth globally, he elaborated, noting these achievements have positively transformed the population structure. Dung also pointed out challenges, notably unsustainable and declining fertility rate. Between 2021 and 2023, the fertility rate fell from 2.11 to 1.96 children per woman—the lowest in history—and this downward trend is expected to continue. Other problems like regional disparities and the trend of delayed marriage must also be addressed to ensure sustainable development, he said. Low fertility rates have led to several consequences, including a labour shortage, increased migration, and rapid population aging. Prolonged low fertility rates would lead to natural population decline, resulting in the underutilisation of social infrastructure such as housing, schools, and healthcare facilities, the official explained. Regarding policies and action programmes in this regard, Dung cited the programme to adjust fertility rates by 2030, approved by the Prime Minister, with the aim of maintaining a stable replacement-level fertility rate nationwide, striving to increase fertility rates in localities with low birth rates, and reducing those in areas with high birth rates, contributing to the successful implementation of Vietnam's Population Strategy until 2030. In the areas where the fertility rate is below the pilot replacement level, incentives will be expanded to support couples in having and raising children, he said. According to Dung, the health ministry and localities have taken actions to put in place the programme, with various documents and initiatives adopted. The ministry has presented to the government a draft for the Population Law, which is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly in 2025, he said, noting one of the key points of the law is maintaining the replacement-level fertility rate. In addition, it is researching and developing a comprehensive population policy framework to ensure that the replacement-level fertility rate is appropriate for different regions, populations, and demographic groups. This framework will be presented to the legislature. It is also working on a proposal to amend and supplement the above-said programme, which is expected to be submitted to the PM in 2025./.