Vietnam allows all women to access fertility treatments by choice
Starting on 1 October, Vietnam will allow all women to access assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including egg freezing and in vitro fertilization (IVF), based on their personal choice.
Previously, the law only permitted infertile couples to undergo IVF if a doctor confirmed a medical need. Single women could not use these services unless they could prove they were infertile.
The new regulation removes these restrictions. Women will no longer need to provide a medical reason to receive ART procedures.
Any woman who wishes to become a mother, whether married or single, can now choose to have IVF or freeze her eggs without proving infertility or getting a doctor’s approval.
Infertile couples will continue to access these treatments as before. However, the regulation’s key change allows single women, including those who are unmarried, divorced, or widowed, to use ART based on their own decision.
The updated policy also gives women the right to receive donor embryos if their eggs are unavailable or unsuitable for pregnancy.
Growing Trend of Egg Freezing Among Single Women
Speaking to Vietnamese media, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Tien, former Deputy Minister of Health and Chairman of the Vietnam Obstetrics and Gynecology Association, said that many unmarried women have already been using IVF for years.
In recent years, the trend of single women choosing to freeze their eggs has been rising quickly.
At the Center for Reproductive Support and Transplant Technology under Hanoi Medical University Hospital, egg freezing was once limited to infertile couples or women undergoing cancer treatment, with only 30-50 cases per year. Now, the center freezes eggs for about 100 women annually,
Other fertility centers have noticed a similar increase, the doctor added.
The Post Office Hospital in Hanoi, for instance, currently stores eggs for around 350 women, handling 5-7 new cases each month. Egg freezing allows women to preserve their fertility, giving them the option to become mothers later in life.
Vietnam began offering IVF in 1998. Since then, more than 150,000 children have been born through IVF, and over 400 children through humanitarian surrogacy, according to the Ministry of Health.
Today, there are over 50 reproductive support centers across the country. The success rate for IVF treatments in Vietnam has also improved significantly, now reaching 70 percent.
IVF in Southeast Asia Region
When it comes to IVF in the region, other countries maintain varying degrees of restriction based on marital status, religious norms, and regulatory frameworks.
Laos provides IVF mainly for infertile couples, with no clear legal provisions for single women. Surrogacy regulations remain limited and are still evolving.
In Thailand, single women can access IVF treatments, including donor sperm and egg freezing. However, surrogacy is restricted to legally married heterosexual couples, limiting options for single or gay women.
The Philippines permits egg freezing but generally restricts single women from independently using IVF, with religious and cultural factors influencing policy.
IVF is a method of assisted reproduction where doctors help create an embryo in a laboratory and place it into a woman’s uterus to achieve pregnancy. Sperm donors normally remain confidential through sperm banks.
By Phontham Visapra – The Laotian Times – August 5, 2025