Ho Chi Minh City offers free IVF support as birth rate stays low

The Ho Chi Minh City Population Sub-department on Thursday signed an agreement with the city's Women's Union, Labor Federation, and My Duc General Hospital to implement the 2026-07 "Nurturing Happiness" program, which will provide free IVF treatment to 60 disadvantaged families.

The program will cover 100 percent of eligible costs, from medical examinations and treatment through embryo transfer and pregnancy monitoring until the fetus reaches nine weeks.

At the signing ceremony on Thursday, Pham Chanh Trung, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Population Sub-department, said that following its administrative merger, Ho Chi Minh City has become Vietnam's largest megacity, with a population of more than 14 million.

The city is facing two major demographic challenges at the same time: a very low fertility rate and rapidly accelerating population aging, he said.

Ho Chi Minh City's total fertility rate was 1.51 children per woman in 2025, placing the city among the 13 localities nationwide with the lowest fertility rates.

The rate is forecast to remain at around 1.51-1.52 children per woman in 2026, with no signs of a recovery.

According to demographers and researchers, infertility, including both primary and secondary infertility, is one of the factors contributing to the city's low fertility rate.

For couples facing financial difficulties, the high cost of infertility treatment remains a major barrier to having children.

"Behind the fertility figures are very specific circumstances. Some couples desperately want to have children and have been advised to undergo infertility treatment, but have had to put their hopes on hold simply because they cannot afford it," Trung said.

The city is facing new demands in population work, including improving population quality, maintaining a reasonable fertility rate, and ensuring that all residents have convenient access to adequate population-related information, knowledge and services.

Trung stressed that all activities under the program would follow the Ministry of Health's professional and technical procedures, comply with Vietnamese law and be conducted on a non-profit basis, with the interests of residents given priority.

Dr. Le Thu Huong, director of My Duc General Hospital, said the "Nurturing Happiness" program is entering its 13th year after more than a decade of efforts to support more families seeking to become parents.

"We hope this practical support will provide a solid foundation and give disadvantaged families another opportunity to begin their journey toward having a child," Huong said.

Couples selected for the program will receive full IVF cost support within the program's scope, from initial examinations and treatment through embryo transfer and monitoring of the pregnancy until the fetus reaches nine weeks, she added.