New Releases

The sex ratio at birth (SRB) is defined as the number of male children being born per 100 females. The biologically normal SRB lies between 102 and 106. In Viet Nam, the SRB was still at the biologically normal level in the year 2000, but rose to 110.5 by 2009 and to 112.2 by 2016. In some provinces, this figure was as high as 117 male children per 100 female children. This policy brief presents new information on the skewed SRB in Viet Nam and its socio-cultural context, offering an analysis of recent demographic developments and research-based recommendations for ways forward.

This brief proposes measures to strengthen the impact of the Domestic Violence Prevention and Control Law (DVPC Law) in Viet Nam. The findings are based primarily on the joint Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism (MoCST) and UNFPA 2016 review of the DVPC Law.  The review looked not only at implementation of the law but also at how reflective it is of international norms and standards, and at the lessons learned from the pilot Minimum Intervention Package (MIP) programme.

This report was developed by Ministry of Health, with technical and financial support from UNFPA. The report reviews the current needs, availability, accessibility, acceptability, quality and regulatory framework of midwifery services and practices in Viet Nam, with a vision towards 2030. The report also provides recommendations for midwifery practices in the coming years, including for governance, human resources, financing, service delivery, health information and infrastructure, equipment, and pharmaceuticals. It is our hope that this report proves useful to policy makers, programme managers, health professionals, researchers and donors in designing and implementing effective reproductive health programmes in order to achieve the ultimate objectives of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Sustainable Development Goals in Viet Nam.

This monograph was developed using the data from the 2014 IPS and 2009 Census to provide the most updated information about an emerging issue that has received great attention from policymakers in Viet Nam. It illustrates the differences of this ratio among regions and population groups, the relationship between socio-economic and demographic factors and sex imbalance at birth in Viet Nam. More specifically, the results help us understand the extent of son preference reflected in reproductive behaviours, and the trend of its diffusion across different population groups. It also proposes some recommendations to address the sex imbalance at birth issue in Viet Nam, and emphasizes the necessity to have information on aspects of social changes and their impacts on son preference to identify factors relating to gender equality in Vietnamese families.