(VOVworld) – Improving population quality and maintaining a reasonable birth rate were the main topics of discussion at a seminar in Hung Yen province on Wednesday. At the meeting, the General Department of Population and Family Planning described the major population challenges Vietnam is facing - the transition from a high to a low fertility rate, from a young to an older childbearing age, and from a young to an older population profile. 2 out of Vietnam’s 6 main regions - the Central Highlands and the north central and central coastal region - have not yet reached a proper replacement birth rate. Vietnam has seen a high gender imbalance at birth, which is still growing.

In the 2016-2020 period, Vietnam hopes to reach a gender ratio at birth of 115 boys to 100 girls, increase the rate of elderly people with access to health care services to 50 percent, and maintain a reasonable birth rate