This remark was made by the Head of the Department for Population and Family Planning, Duong Quoc Trong, at a national seminar in Hanoi on November 3.

Trong said the gender imbalance at birth has arrived late in Vietnam  but is growing quickly and becoming quite complicated.

Ten provinces have a gender ratio at birth of 119.7 boys per 100 girls and 18 provinces and cities have recorded a ratio of at least 115 boys per 100 girls. The provinces with the largest gender gap are Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Nam Dinh, Hoa Binh and Haiphong.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said if no effective measures are taken to control the gender ratio, the nationwide figure will increase to 115 boys per 100 girls in 2015 and continue at that rate until 2049. This means that in 2049, there will be 3.3 - 4 million fewer Vietnamese women than men, which will present many social problems.

Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan stated that the gender imbalance has become a burning issue that needs to be addressed with comprehensive solutions.

He urged the Ministry of Health to collect ideas from relevant ministries and departments to devise proper solutions to minimise the gender imbalance in 2013 and the following years.

During the one-day seminar, participants also evaluated the current situation in Vietnam, including its causes and consequences. Decision makers for population and family planning will draw the experiences from other countries and international organisations to come up with solutions to the problem in the future.

VOV online