VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly ten percent of people at the age of 15-24, who are married, said they had sexual relations before marriage.

The figure comes from the second national survey about Vietnamese youth and juveniles, conducted by UNICEF.

According to the survey, up to 37 percent of the people who participated in the survey said that having sex before marriage is acceptable, if both sides agree and they know for sure that they will get married or they use contraceptive methods.

Five years after the first survey, the age for losing virginity reduced from 19.6 to 18.1 years old. The average age for getting married the first time increased from 25.3 to 26.6 years old for men and from 22.7 to 23.2 years old for women. On average rural residents get married two years earlier than urban residents.

The abortion rate in Vietnam is very high for especially single and juvenile girls. Around 2.2 percent of abortion cases in Vietnam in 2010 are juvenile cases.

Vietnamese youth’s awareness of reproductive health has progressed, especially with regards to using contraceptive methods. However, the accuracy of knowledge is still below expectations.

Through the survey, the United Nations in Vietnam proposed the Vietnamese government strongly invest in education and social policies and to make opportunities for the youth, who account for one third of the population, to contribute to the country’s sustainable development.

The survey, called Survey Assessment of Vietnamese Youth, was carried out by UNICEF, the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and the General Statistics Office.

Le Ngoc