The Ministry of Health has proposed allowing couples to decide the number and timing of their children, as well as addressing regional disparities in birth rates.

National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh reaffirmed that Vietnam remains firmly committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women at a meeting in Hanoi on March 4 with Caroline Nyamayemombe, UN Women Representative in Vietnam, and Michaela Bauer, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam.

Highlighting women’s contributions to community development as well a national construction, defence and rapid, sustainable development, the top legislator said that NA’s female deputies and officials have made great efforts to complete the legislature’s tasks.

According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam is one of the countries that has achieved the Millennium Development Goal on gender equality and women's empowerment ahead of schedule. In 2024, it ranked 72nd out of 146 countries in the global gender equality index. Notably, the proportion of female deputies in Vietnam’s 2021-2026 National Assembly stands at 30.26%, a high level compared to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang called on the international community to boost actions to dismantle barriers and create an environment where women and girls can engage in and contribute more to science.