Gender imbalance in Vietnam rises steeply
Vietnam's gender imbalance ratio is expected to continue increasing rapidly, especially in the Hong (Red) River Delta region, according to the General Department of Population and Family Planning (GDPFP).
Vietnam will have 2.3-4.3 million fewer women than men by 2050 if the gender gap isn't reduced, the department said in a report.
The surplus of males of marriageable age may lead to the disintegration of family structures as a significant proportion of men will have to marry late and many cannot get married at all.
The direct cause of the imbalance is that many families have abused medical technology to determine the gender of their unborn child and choose to continue the pregnancy only if they are carrying a child of the preferred gender.
Since 2004, the Population Ordinance has prohibited people from having abortions based on the foetus' gender. However, this situation persists.
GDPFP's statistics show that Vietnam's gender imbalance ratio has increased rapidly in the past five years. In 2014, there were 114 boys per 100 girls, much higher than the world's average ratio of 103 to 106 boys per 100 girls.