When children become mothers: Crisis in adolescent pregnancy in Ho Chi Minh City

Statistics from the Vietnam Family Planning Association indicate that Vietnam sees nearly 300,000 abortions annually, with most of the cases involving young women between the ages of 15 and 19.

Shockingly, 60–70 percent of these young women are students.

In early 2023, Ho Chi Minh City piloted a ‘one-stop’ service model at Hung Vuong Hospital to provide social services supporting children, women, and victims of violence and abuse.

The results showed that within just two years, it supported 224 cases involving underage girls and women, including 194 cases where girls under 16 were pregnant or had already given birth.

During the same period, over 1,000 additional cases of teen pregnancy were reported at hospitals across the city, but those involved did not access support services due to various barriers.

A report from a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City revealed that in 2023 alone, out of nearly 43,600 births and abortions, 528 were associated with teenagers.

At Tu Du Hospital, the number of adolescent abortions doubled to 1,410 in 2024 from 661 cases in 2023.

The stories behind the statistics were heartbreaking, said lawyer Tran Thi Ngoc Nu.

In one case, a 14-year-old girl from Ninh Thuan Province, located in the south-central region, gave birth to a baby with congenital heart disease.

The child lacked a birth certificate, as both parents were still underage and had dropped out of school over family hardship.

Dr. Pham Quoc Hung, head of the social work department at Hung Vuong Hospital and leader of the pilot program, said he has seen so many cases of underage pregnancy.

One of the youngest involved an 11-year-old girl.

According to Dr. Hung, many of these girls come from broken homes or live with grandparents owing to parental absence.

About 60 percent are out of school, and the remaining 40 percent live in situations lacking parental supervision.

Abortion rate shows no signs of decreasing

National surveys on reproductive and sexual health show that the Vietnamese youth have greater access to information through the Internet, but gaps in understanding remain vast.

The average age of the first sexual practice has decreased to 18.7 in 2017 from 19.6 in 2010, yet most adolescents lack adequate knowledge about sexual health and contraception.

Despite this increased access to information, the adolescent abortion rate has remained steady, fluctuating between 1.8 percent and 2.5 percent of total abortions in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2023, the rate stood at 2.32 percent.

Call for community action

Experts agreed that the key to prevention lies in early, comprehensive sex education, both at home and school.

Dr. Hung emphasized the need for parents to be proactive in discussing reproductive health with their children.

Schools also play a critical role in sex education.

“Schools have offered sex education programs to children from an early age, but in many places, the effectiveness remains limited, especially in delivering thorough sexual knowledge,” he said.

The role of society is equally important. Agencies, organizations, and community groups need to ‘go door to door’ to raise awareness and educate children, Dr. Hung added.

Dr. Vu Thi Thu from the Thu Duc General Hospital recounted multiple cases of girls as young as 13 who came in for prenatal care.

Many did not realize they were pregnant, with some mistaking their condition for a stomach tumor.

Others did not even know who the fathers were.

She warned that early abortions carry serious physical and psychological risks, from menstrual disorders and infections to infertility and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Parents are urged to engage more deeply with their children, not only by monitoring but also by nurturing trust and communication.

How to get help

Victims of abuse and sexual violence can seek support through the round-the-clock hotline of the ‘one-stop’ service model at 1900545559, or visit any of the following hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City:

-- Hung Vuong Hospital at 128 Hong Bang Street in District 5

-- Children’s Hospital 1 at 341 Su Van Hanh Street in District 10

-- City Children’s Hospital at 15 Vo Tran Chi Street in Binh Chanh District

-- Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics at 929 Tran Hung Dao Street in District 5