Population policies and reproductive patterns in Vietnam

The Panorama and Outcomes of Pregnancies Within a Well-Defined Population in Rural Vietnam 1999–2004

“…The similar findings in these two studies indicate that the primary health services have kept their standard despite the decreasing financial support. The mean age at first marriage and childbearing, as well as the interpregnancy intervals, are comparable to the results reported in other studies from Vietnam [20,25]. The proportion of spontaneous abortions (6.4%) in the subgroup of women who married for the first time may be regarded as an indication of the prevalence of miscarriage where the intention is to reach a live birth.…”

“…The overall proportions of the specified outcomes in this survey are similar to those found in a retrospectively collected population-based survey conducted in Vietnam in 1994, which include 3,954 pregnancies (live birth 81%, miscarriage or stillbirth 6%, induced abortion 13%) [20]. It is striking that the pregnancy outcomes are similar between the two surveys, taking into consideration the rapid economical changes that Vietnam has undergone during the last decade.…”

“…The reduced rate during the study period might be explained by an improved access to modern methods of contraception as well as an eased implementation of the two-child policy which was officially abolished in 2003. Previous studies in Vietnam and elsewhere show that the increased use of contraception reduces the abortion rate [17,[19][20][21]30]. Official Vietnamese data show a reduction in induced abortions and an increase in the use of modern contraceptive methods between 2000 and 2005 [31,32].…”

“…Although not an adverse outcome, an induced abortion indicates a failure in the use of contraceptive methods [17,18]. Abortion has been legal in Vietnam since the 1960s, but did not became widespread until the late 1980s in connection with the strictly implemented population policy of limiting births to two children per family, spaced 3-5 years apart, and delaying marriage and childbearing until at least the age of 19 [19][20][21]. The abortion rate increased rapidly to become one of the highest in the world; in 1996, it was estimated at 83 per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years [22,23].…”

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Teen Pregnancy in Vietnam: Results from Two National Surveys

“…During the wars, young women and men were encouraged to follow the Three-Delay Movement: delay falling in love, delay getting married, and delay having children [12]. Young women's reproductive health became a realm governed by the state, and the act of getting married and/or becoming pregnant was frowned upon as a selfish act made at the cost of the nation's well-being [32].…”