Vietnam has officially ended its long-standing two-child policy as the country grapples with a falling birth rate and a rapidly ageing population.
On 3 June, the National Assembly Standing Committee approved a new regulation allowing all couples to freely decide when to have children, how many to have, and how far apart to space them, according to state-run Vietnam News Agency.
The decision marks the end of a population control policy that had been in place since 1988.
That law limited most families to one or two children, although special cases were exempt.
In practice, it was loosely enforced for the general public, but Communist Party members could face official warnings, pay cuts, or even dismissal for violating it.
The change comes at a critical time. Vietnam’s fertility rate dropped to 1.91 children per woman in December 2024, the lowest on record, and has remained below the replacement level of 2.1 for three consecutive years.
A population needs a replacement-level fertility rate to maintain long-term stability without relying on immigration.
The Ministry of Health proposed lifting the restriction in 2024 in response to shifting demographics.
The United Nations Population Fund has warned that Vietnam is moving from an “ageing” to an “aged” population within just two decades, a transition that took far longer in many developed countries.
The end of the two-child rule is part of Vietnam’s broader efforts to respond to the long-term implications of a shrinking, older population, state media says. These include potential labor shortages, reduced economic productivity, and growing pressure on pension and healthcare systems.