Keeping with the world trend, especially of major cities, residents of Saigon continue to have fewer and fewer children in recent years.

The birth rates of women of childbearing age in the city have dropped to the lowest level since national data has been available, falling to 1.33 children per woman in 2012, down from 1.45 children in 2009. The national birth rate was 2.06 children per woman last year.

“It’s hard to raise a baby,” said Ms. Ly Thi Them, 38, in District 11 of Ho Chi Minh City on being asked if she wanted to have another child.

“I have a son. After getting married, we were poor, and didn’t have a sufficient income to raise him, so he fell ill. The medicine and hospital costs for him were uncountable.”

“Although he is now 14 years old and healthier, I have no plan to have a second child because our total income is just ten million dong [US$481] a month. It is not enough to support a new family member,” she added.

Ms. Vu Ngoc Doan Trang, 29, in Phu Nhuan District, earns a good salary, but mentioned another reason to avoid having more than one child.

Trang, owner of a private company, and her husband, a car dealer, want to arrange more time to travel regularly instead of taking care of young children.

It takes a couple at least three years to return to normal life after having a baby, Trang said.

Besides, the fear of morning sickness during pregnancy and the efforts to get back in shape after birth have dissuaded her from having a second child.

In general, career opportunities, income levels, and the desire to live life to its fullest cause mothers of childbearing age to have fewer and fewer children, according to Ms. To Thi Kim Hoa—deputy director of HCMC Health Department and head of the Family Planning Department.

“Each couple should have two children to ensure labor resources and future community development,” she added.

Lowering birth rates have created a new “lonely generation” with the proportions of families with one child and single mothers growing larger.

With the Vietnamese population officially reaching 90 million this month, the imbalance of population in cities and the countryside may bring new challenges to the government regarding infrastructure, social welfare, and work force in the near future.

Analysts warned that there are consequences that may follow the decrease of birth rates combined with longer life expectancy. There will be more retired people than those able to work, and a possible wave of immigration to big cities, causing a shortage of workers in the countryside.

This has happened in almost all developed nations including the US, Japan, and European countries, driving experts to warn of a 'population crisis'.