Officials at the United Nations Population Fund said on July 2 that Vietnam’s rate of population increase is slowing down. Vietnam’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in 2007 was 2.07, its lowest since 1999, marking an 0.2 drop from 2000. Within the ASEAN region, Vietnam’s TFR was lower than Laos (4.4) and Cambodia (3.6).

According to the GSO, TFR varies geographically, ranging from 2.8 in the central highlands, to 1.7 in the south-east.

According to Tran Thi Van, assistant representative at UNFPA, the decrease is largely due to the increasing usage of contraceptive methods.

UNFPA also noted that fewer women gave birth to a third child in 2007, a drop to 16.7% from 18.5% in 2006 and 20.8% in 2005. This drop correlates with education as 2007’s statistics revealed that 19.4% of such women finished primary school, 15.3% were high school graduates, and only 4.5% had further education.

Vietnam is entering a so-called period of Golden-population-structure so the focus now is not on reducing fertility rates but improving health and education services to adolescents and youths who will constitute the primary labour-force in the next five to ten years, according to Duong Van Dat, a National Programme on Reproductive Health Officer with UNFPA.

Golden-population structure refers to the time when young and working aged people vastly outnumber dependants by staggering amounts.

“Research by international population experts show that a Golden-population-structure comes to each nation but once and Vietnam should take full advantage of this to develop the economy,” said Mr Dat.

To implement effective economic-boom strategies, we need to strengthen family planning activities directed at adolescents and young adults,” Mr Dat stated, adding, “The rate of adolescents using contraception is low especially amongst the poor. A quarter to a third of youths have pre-marital sex but reproductive health-care and family planning activities are mainly focused on married people.”

According to Van, better access to contraceptive methods would reduce maternal fatalities by a third and infant mortality by a fifth. At present, 85% of contraceptive tools in Vietnam are donated but this aid will end in 2010 when the nation reaches an average income per head per year of US$1,000.

The Ministry of Health estimates Vietnam needs US$132 million to meet the demand for contraceptive devices between 2006 and 2015. (VNA)