Vietnam Abolishes Two-child Policy as Birthrate Hits Record Low

Vietnam did away with its long-standing two-child policy earlier this month in an effort to increase its birthrate, but that may not be enough to encourage childbearing among an increasingly westernized population still suffering under communism.

According to The Associated Press, on June 3,

The National Assembly passed amendments scrapping rules that limit families to having one or two children, state media Vietnam News Agency reported….

The rules were usually stricter for Communist Party members, who could miss out on promotions or bonuses if they had a third child.

Birth Dearth

The policy was first enacted in communist North Vietnam during the 1960s. It was then extended to the entire country, by then reunified under communist rule, in 1988. It was allegedly intended to conserve resources, shortages of which are an inevitable consequence of Marxism, or, alternatively, to stem the tide of “overpopulation.”

As with all central plans, it had unforeseen consequences. Vietnam’s birthrate had already fallen from 6.4 births per woman in 1963 to 3.7 in 1987. After the two-child policy was enacted the following year, the birthrate plummeted to 2.11 births per woman in 2021, the rate needed just to maintain the existing population. By last year, it had dropped to just 1.91 births per woman, a record low.