"Have More Daughters"... Vietnam Takes Drastic Step with Medical License Revocation for Disclosing Fetal Gender

Vietnam Faces Worsening Gender Imbalance Due to Son Preference Culture
Doctors to Lose Licenses for Disclosing Fetal Gender
Support for Families with Two Daughters and Stricter Gender Selection Regulations Proposed

Vietnam has launched a comprehensive overhaul of its national population policy to address the deepening preference for sons and the resulting birth gender imbalance.

Street scene in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Pixabay

According to recent reports from local media such as VN Express, the Vietnamese government has announced a health and population program with a total budget of 125 trillion dong (approximately 6.97 trillion won). The main goal is to reduce the birth gender ratio to below 109 males per 100 females by 2030, and below 107 by 2035. The birth gender ratio refers to the number of boys born for every 100 girls.

Currently, Vietnam’s gender ratio far exceeds the natural range (104-106 males per 100 females). As of 2024, the national average stands at 111.4, with the imbalance particularly pronounced in the northern regions. In the capital Hanoi, the ratio reaches 118.1, and in some areas such as Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and Thai Nguyen provinces, it exceeds 120. According to United Nations Population Division statistics, Vietnam ranked as the fourth most imbalanced country out of 217 in 2023. This contrasts with South Korea, which overcame its own son preference issue and stabilized at around 105 in 2023.

Experts attribute the cause to a deeply rooted Confucian preference for sons. Although Vietnamese women actively participate in society, with economic activity rates and the proportions of female executives and parliamentarians above the global average, perceptions within the home have not changed significantly from traditional practices. The belief that “a son continues the family line” remains widespread across both rural and urban areas, regardless of wealth or education level. Throughout Vietnam, it is common to see well-known temples that claim to help women give birth to sons, and some of these temples exploit visitors’ desperation by selling expensive offerings to deities said to grant sons.

To alleviate this issue, the government is actively promoting policies to encourage the birth of daughters. In July, the Ministry of Health proposed a draft Population Law that includes providing cash or daily necessities to rural or vulnerable families who have two daughters. Some local governments, such as Hai Phong, Hau Giang, and Bac Lieu, have already piloted similar policies and are reported to have achieved some results.

Regulations to prevent gender selection practices are also being strengthened. The government is revising rules to allow for the revocation of medical licenses for doctors who disclose fetal gender, and is considering increasing administrative fines for gender selection procedures from the current 30 million dong (about 1.7 million won) to up to 100 million dong (about 5.58 million won).

The Ministry of Health views the current situation as serious. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the General Office for Population and Family Planning at the Ministry of Health, warned, “If this trend continues, by 2034 there will be 1.5 million more men than women aged 15 to 49.” The General Statistics Office of Vietnam also pointed out, “Despite the government’s efforts, the gender imbalance has actually worsened over the past two years.”