Proximate determinants and their influences on fertility reduction in viet nam

The present study estimates the fertility-inhibiting effects of the four important proximate determinants, namely marriage, contraception, induced abortion and post-partum infecundability in Viet Nam. It is based on using data obtained from the 1997 and 2002 round of the Viet Nam Demographic and Health Survey (VNDHS). The Bongaarts model is used to determine the contribution of the proximate determinants in fertility change. The analysis shows that the major factors responsible for fertility change are the proportion of married women, level of contraceptive use and induced abortion in rural Viet Nam. In urban areas, induced abortion, post-partum infecundability and the proportion of married women have been found to be major determinants in fertility change during the above period, whereas contraceptive use has had a marginal effect on it. The estimated total fertility rate (TFR) is probably smaller than the actual one and the difference between the two has narrowed over the period.