A recent survey revealed that the Red River delta claimed the highest imbalance in the country’s sex ratio with 116 males for 100 females in the 1 - 4 age group.

The imbalance was attributed to parents' preference for having male children and medical intervention.

Doctor Nguyen Dinh Cu, Head of the National Economics University’s Population and Social Affairs Institute, told the seminar that Vietnam's population is growing fast. Vietnam is the 13th most densely populated country in the world with 83.12 million people, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

More than one million people, equal to the average size of a province, were added to its population in 2005.

The GSO forecast the national population will exceed 100 million by 2024 with 335 people residing in one square kilometre of land.

However, the country's population is becoming old, Mr Cu noted.

The research showed that the human development index (HDI) was still low in the world despite its constant increase. The malnutrition rate among under-five children remains high, especially in the Central Highlands and northwestern regions. On the contrary, many urban children are overweight or obese.

Regarding reproductive health, Vietnam was listed in the group of countries with the highest rate of abortion in the world. Juvenile and young women made up a large proportion.

Premarital sexual relations, homo-sexuality, late marriage, and being single, separated and divorced have been on the rise.

Scientists at the seminar recommended measures to limit these negative practices in population development, including promoting family planning, strictly banning foetus selection and creating favorable conditions for residential registration.

VNA/VOVNews