Two nurses care for a newborn at a hospital. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội authorities are drafting a policy to pay cash bonuses to women who have two children before turning 35, part of a broader push to shore up a birth rate that has fallen to one of the lowest in Southeast Asia.

Under the draft resolution, women would receive VNĐ2 million (US$77) for each child they give birth to. Those who complete two births before age 35 would qualify for a higher payment of VNĐ4 million ($154) per birth.

The draft also proposes a VNĐ1 million ($39) payment to couples who undergo premarital health counselling and checkups in line with Health Ministry guidelines, provided they marry within the legally recommended age range.

To encourage local efforts to sustain birth rates, the plan would also reward commune-level governments that keep at least 70 per cent of married couples of reproductive age having two children for three consecutive years, offering a commendation from the city's People's Committee chairman along with VNĐ30 million ($1,157).

Communes and wards that sustain that rate for five straight years would receive VNĐ60 million (about $2,315) and a similar commendation.

The city says funding would come from its municipal budget and other sources, with the policy set to take effect January 1, 2027.

The proposal comes as Việt Nam's fertility rate has slipped to 1.93 children per woman, among the lowest in Southeast Asia, while young Vietnamese increasingly delay marriage.

According to the Ministry of Health, the average age at first marriage rose from 25.2 in 2019 to 27.3 in 2024 – a five-year increase nearly double that of the previous two decades.

The ministry has identified Hà Nội, HCM City and eight other provinces and cities, such as Cần Thơ, Khánh Hòa and Đồng Nai, as having fertility rates below the national average. — VNS