VOVNews: What are major challenges for Vietnam in implementing the national programme to improve population quality from now till 2010 and onwards?
Dr Nhat: First, Vietnam has a large population size of 84 million and more than one million babies are born annually. As a result, the country has a highest population density in the world, reaching 252 persons/sq km in 2005. The figure in China stands at 136 persons/sq km. Population demographics has also changed the number of children under 14 years old dropping sharply from 33.1 percent in 1999 to 26.4 percent in 2005, while the number of the elderly increased from 13 to 14 percent.

The physical strength and height of Vietnamese people have developed steadily in the past 20-30 years, but the average height of young Vietnamese people is much lower than those in other countries (10cm for boys and 8cm for girls).

Notably, the number of people with disabilities in society is rather high. In 2005 Vietnam had 5.3 million disabled people, making up 6.3 percent of the country’s total population. Of the figure, deformed and disabled children numbered more than a million.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has caused serious consequences for the survival and development of humankind. Statistics showed that about 104,000 Vietnamese people are living with HIV, but the real figure is much bigger.

VOVNews: How will Vietnam maintain sustainability and equality among regions while implementing the national population development strategy?
Dr Nhat: The Party and State have issued many policies to ensure human development and accessibility opportunities in regions so as to narrow the development gap. Success in hunger and poverty reduction has been Vietnam’s most impressive achievement in the past years. The most important plan, I think, is to increase investment in development programmes in rural and remote areas, particularly in such areas as culture, healthcare and education.  

VOVNews: What shall we do to improve population control?

Dr Nhat: Vietnam has paid due attention to boosting economic growth rates, hastening poverty reduction, and improving education and healthcare activities. However, issues relating to birth deformities and congenital diseases have not yet been resolved. There has been little investment in this area.

The Political Bureau’s Resolution 47 on Population aims to reinforce healthcare activities in order to reduce the number of new born babies with birth defects.

In the coming period, the National Committee for Population, Family and Children will coordinate with the Ministry of Health and central agencies to launch extended programmes on pre-birth delivery diagnoses to help all married couples gain access to advanced techniques. I hope that Vietnam is able to control inborn deformities and birth defects in new born babies.

VOVNews:  Recently, many people were very concerned about the disparity in birth rates between boys and girls, what measures will the National Committee for Population, Family and Children take to alleviate it?

Dr Nhat: In fact, a big difference in male and female birth rates has not yet been seen in Vietnam so far. The male birth rate only increased from 105 male/100 female in 1979 to 107 male/100 female in 1999. However, the high disparity in male and female birth rates was reported in 16 provinces at a rate of 115-128 male/100 female.

This showed that gender imbalance has risen in Vietnam and this is no longer an early warning for the country.

In countries with a gender imbalance, the number of men who fail to get marry has  increased remarkably. Also more and more foreign men want to marry Vietnamese girls.

The National Committee for Population, Family and Children is prepared to work with the General Statistics Office and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in order to analyse and define gender through birth rates based on a survey conducted on April 1, 2006. We will invite experts from China and the Republic of Korea to attend a national seminar to discuss gender-related issues.

VOVNews:  Thank you very much.