Vietnam is paying women to have more babies—but there’s a catch: they have to be on baby no. 2 to qualify for the cash bonus

Vietnam will spend VND 1.8 trillion (~$68M) a year on baby bonuses, but only women under 35 with an existing biological child qualify for a VND 2 million (~$76) payout for a second baby — plus slightly longer maternity (7 months) and doubled paternity leave (10 days).
Critics note the cash is tiny compared with the real costs and career hit of motherhood (one study estimates mothers earn about $17,000 less per year), and Vietnam’s birthrate fell to a record low of 1.91, prompting the policy shift.
It’s part of a global scramble for more babies — from France sending “don’t leave it too late” letters to a South Korean firm paying ~$66,000 per child and Elon Musk funding fertility research.