Party members permitted to have third child from March 20

The Central Inspection Commission has just issued Instruction No. 15-HD/UBKTTW (Instruction 15), amending and supplementing Instruction No. 05-HD/UBKTTW dated November 22, 2022 of the Central Inspection Commission on implementing a number of articles in Regulation No. 69-QD/TW, dated July 6, 2022 of the Politburo on disciplining Party organizations and Party members who violate.

Accordingly, Instruction 15 removes points 8.1, 8.2, Clause 8, Section III of Instruction 05. Clause 8, Section III of Instruction 05 stipulates disciplinary action against party members who violate population policy regulations.

Previously, the Central Party Office sent a document to the Central Inspection Committee, the Government Party Committee, the National Assembly Party Committee, and the Ministry of Health Party Committee to notify the Politburo's opinion on the preliminary implementation of Resolution 21 on population work in the new situation and amending the regulations of the Party and State related to population policy.

In particular, the Politburo assigned the Central Inspection Committee to advise and amend the regulations of the Central Executive Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat related to handling violations of population policies and proactively amending Instruction No. 05 of the Central Inspection Committee in the direction of not disciplining cases of having a third child or more.

Risk of labor shortage

Previously, experts recommended that disciplining Party members for having three or more children is no longer appropriate given Viet Nam's current low birth rate. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) predicts that Viet Nam may become an aging country by 2036 and a super-aging society by 2049.

According to the General Statistics Office, Viet Nam's population was estimated at 101.3 million people last year. Without timely intervention, within just ten years, Viet Nam will officially enter the ageing population stage, facing the risk of labor shortage in the future.

Fertility rates are particularly low in big cities and industrial zones, where high child-rearing costs and work pressures cause many couples to delay or avoid having more children.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) proposed each couple and individual should be empowered to decide on the number of children and the time of birth based on their circumstances. Additionally, the MoH also suggested extending maternity leave to seven months for women giving birth to a second child and providing support for renting and purchasing social housing.

Viet Nam's total fertility rate is 1.91 children per woman which is below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman and continues to decline./.