What do young couples need? A case study of the Northern Uplands in Viet Nam

Hoang Kim Dzung, Center for Population Studies and Information, Hanoi
Vo Anh Dung
Nguyen Thi Thom

This paper discuss the findings of operational research study on RH and FP knowledge of young couples in Northern Upland in Vietnam. Early marriages are common problems. Because they are married below the legal age at marriage in Vietnam, they often do not get a marriage certificate or a birth certificate for their chikdren. The children, who were born without certificate at births have difficulty in accessing public schools. Some parents accept to paying fines , while many of others do not pay attention to find legal approvals for their children’s birth. Knowledge on RH and FP of the young couples is very poor and greatly differs in terms of geography, education, cultural context, ethnic group and socio-economic development level. Gender differentials are also demonstrated in deficient awareness of RH and HIV/AIDS, and in accessibility RH and FP services. However the RH and FP policies seem to be more priority for adult couples than adolescent families.