For a society to survive and prosper, it would need an average of 2.1 children born to every woman.
But Ho Chi Minh City has not been able to keep up the replacement rate, as experts call it. The
numbers have been dropping since 2000, to merely 1.24 in 2016, and despite an uptick in 2021 up to
1.48, it has been projected to nose-dive in the coming years. Such a seriously low fertility level has
landed the city at the bottom 20 local alarming list by the Ministry of Health. Coupled with the
rapidly aging population, it would cause shortages of labor supply and pressures on the already thin
social safety net, the authorities concern.<\/p>
The news, of course, has attracted public attention as Ho Chi Minh City, after all, is the most dynamic
in the country. Three-quarter of its population are in working age, putting the city in the ripe \u201cgolden
population\u201d phase. And every year, they contribute the biggest piece to the country\u2019s rapid economic
growth, making the city the \u201ceconomic engine\u201d of the overall development train.<\/p>
But the facade covers a less beaming picture that the plummeting birth rate is just a tip of the iceberg.
Official explanations by the government offer reasons such as the fast pace of modern life, women\u2019s
increased working hours, trends that draw people to move around instead of settling down, and other
social and financial pressures that shun them to have kids. And to fix it and keep the city on track of
property, the population and family planners draw out individual-level solutions. Policies to boost
childbirth include allowing couples to have as many children as they want instead of sticking to the
decades-old two-child policy, lowering childcare costs, and even granting mothers money upon having
their first and second children, etc..<\/p>
But these miss the bigger picture<\/strong><\/h5>Among the most agreed comments of the news, netizens listed underlying reasons why young couples
become cautious in bringing a new life into the city. Sky-rocketing living costs, deteriorating
environment, stressful living conditions, and even traffic jams and paralyzed infrastructure have been
brought up. \u201cIn short, life here is always on tenterhooks. So we give birth less and less,\u201d concludes one
of the most celebrated comments.<\/p>
But Ho Chi Minh City has not always been this way. In fact, it has a history of being built to be the
most welcoming city in the country to everyone. When they crafted the \u2018Pearl of the Orient\u2019, the
French planners wanted Saigon to be a \u201cjungle city\u201d, that, as a cool and green tropical destination,
should be appealing to travelers across the globe. Even during wartime, it became the shelter for rural
dwellers and continued to be one after 1975. Over the years, its residents have taken pride in the generosity the city could give to anyone, labeling it a \u201ccity of love\u201d.<\/p>
What happened at the same time with the dropping birthrate, one can argue, is that the city has been
cropping out what has made it an easy place to live.<\/p>
In three episodes of Make A Statement series produced by RICE, the team together addressed the
three basic essential activities of every human being – breathing, eating, and playing, whose spaces in
Ho Chi Minh City has shrunken: the vanishing green space, chased-away famous street food culture
and shrinking playground and playtime. In doing so, the series also made a connection of its past – a
tropical city originally designed with lush greenery, its present – a mixed pot of people from all walk of
life that enriches the local culture and, and the well-being of its next generation, with an emphasis on their
mental state.<\/p>
To escape from the gloomy future, the RICE team and their guest speakers also imagined together <\/strong>how to make Ho Chi Minh City a better place for everyone<\/strong><\/h5>\u201cIt\u2019s about working on what we already have, instead of borrowing ideas elsewhere and adopting them
regardlessly,\u201d argued Vu Viet Anh, an urban planning expert. To take back the green space from heat
islands, he suggested the city turning to its own District 3 as the muse for green inspirations, rather
than envisioning unrealistic examples in the world. We can afford and enjoy a stroll in the central
district, he pointed out, despite it having no public parks, thanks to towering trees and mini gardens
popping up in both public and private properties. In other words, every plant by everyone count.<\/p>
become cautious in bringing a new life into the city. Sky-rocketing living costs, deteriorating
environment, stressful living conditions, and even traffic jams and paralyzed infrastructure have been
brought up. \u201cIn short, life here is always on tenterhooks. So we give birth less and less,\u201d concludes one
of the most celebrated comments.<\/p>
most welcoming city in the country to everyone. When they crafted the \u2018Pearl of the Orient\u2019, the
French planners wanted Saigon to be a \u201cjungle city\u201d, that, as a cool and green tropical destination,
should be appealing to travelers across the globe. Even during wartime, it became the shelter for rural
dwellers and continued to be one after 1975. Over the years, its residents have taken pride in the generosity the city could give to anyone, labeling it a \u201ccity of love\u201d.<\/p>
cropping out what has made it an easy place to live.<\/p>
three basic essential activities of every human being – breathing, eating, and playing, whose spaces in
Ho Chi Minh City has shrunken: the vanishing green space, chased-away famous street food culture
and shrinking playground and playtime. In doing so, the series also made a connection of its past – a
tropical city originally designed with lush greenery, its present – a mixed pot of people from all walk of
life that enriches the local culture and, and the well-being of its next generation, with an emphasis on their
mental state.<\/p>
\u201cIt\u2019s about working on what we already have, instead of borrowing ideas elsewhere and adopting them
regardlessly,\u201d argued Vu Viet Anh, an urban planning expert. To take back the green space from heat
islands, he suggested the city turning to its own District 3 as the muse for green inspirations, rather
than envisioning unrealistic examples in the world. We can afford and enjoy a stroll in the central
district, he pointed out, despite it having no public parks, thanks to towering trees and mini gardens
popping up in both public and private properties. In other words, every plant by everyone count.<\/p>
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