Under Government Decree 168, issued on 19/5, women from very small ethnic minority groups, women who have two children before age 35, or women giving birth in provinces and cities with a sub-replacement birth rate of less than 2,1 children per woman will receive 2 million VND in childbirth support. Individuals qualifying under multiple categories will only receive one support payment.

The Government has assigned the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones the responsibility for disbursing these funds. Payments will be made concurrently with birth registration, based on data from the integrated birth registration system, the national population database, the VNeID application, and other relevant databases.

Support for women from very small ethnic minority groups will commence on 1/7. Policies assisting women who have two children before age 35 and those giving birth in areas with sub-replacement birth rates will take effect on 1/1/2027.

The decree also mandates support for prenatal screening for four basic diseases: Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Patau syndrome, and Thalassemia (congenital hemolytic anemia).

A mother at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hanoi, in 2020. Photo: Thanh Hue

Newborns will receive screening support for five diseases: congenital hypothyroidism, G6PD deficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, congenital hearing impairment, and severe congenital heart defects. The support amount will be based on actual costs, with a maximum of 900,000 VND per person for prenatal screening and 600,000 VND per child for newborn screening.

From 1/7 until the end of 2026, pregnant women and newborns from poor or near-poor households, social protection beneficiaries, residents in particularly disadvantaged villages, and those in ethnic minority, mountainous, border, or island communes will receive free screening packages funded by the state budget.

Beginning 1/1/2027, all pregnant women and newborns will receive screening cost support from the budget of the National Target Program on Healthcare, Population, and Development for the 2026-2035 period. This support will continue until these diseases are included in the list covered by health insurance.

According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 1,800 billion VND is needed annually to support women giving birth, and about 2,000 billion VND for the fetal and newborn screening program.

This policy is enacted amid a continuous decline in Vietnam's birth rate, which fell from 2,11 children per woman in 2021 to 1,91 children this year. This trend is projected to continue its downward trajectory. The decline is not limited to large urban centers but has also spread to many localities that previously maintained high birth rates.

The Government expects these financial and healthcare support policies to reduce the burden of childbirth and encourage families to have two children. This initiative aims to slow the pace of population aging and mitigate the risk of future labor shortages.

Vu Tuan