Vietnam's population aging: census

The country’s fertility rate was much lower than the Southeast Asian average of 2.7, the census, published by the General Statistics Office and United Nations Population Fund Friday, revealed.

The census was conducted April 1 at 3,840 randomly chosen residential areas. It indicated a trend towards small families in Vietnam, where the birth rate is o­nly higher than Singapore’s 1.3 and Thailand’s 1.7.

Rates varied between regions with different living conditions and culture: it was highest in the Central Highlands with 3.1 children against 1.7 in the wealthier southeastern region.

The reduction in birth rate was largely attributed to a rise in condom use with over 65 percent of couples polled saying they used them.