Vietnam Ends Two-Child Rule in Effort to Tackle Falling Birthrate

Vietnam has scrapped a longstanding policy limiting families to two children, as the communist-run country grapples with a declining birthrate.

- Rebecca Ratcliffe

State media announced yesterday that couples could make their own decisions about how many children to have, and how much time to wait between births, reversing longstanding restrictions.

The promotion of two-child families dates back to the 1960s in communist North Vietnam, though this policy was further developed in the reunified Vietnam in the 1980s and 1990s, including through the country's first decree on family planning in 1988.

The two-child policy was not universally enforced, though Communist party members could face sanctions.