Senior lecturer Prof. Giang Thanh Long of the National Economics University and Dr. Trinh Phuong Thao, a lecturer at Hanoi National University of Education, both stress that such cash payments cannot be the sole solution. They argue that financial support must be embedded in a broader set of policies that also address cultural attitudes, education, and social protection.

According to the two experts, the core of the problem is a deep‑seated preference for sons that exists in society, not merely the availability of sex‑selection technology. Unless this preference changes, a single monetary incentive is unlikely to produce lasting results.

International experience offers a cautious lesson. India’s Ladli conditional cash‑transfer programme, which pays parents of girls, coincided with a modest improvement in the registered sex ratio, but evaluations suggest the change may reflect better birth registration rather than a true shift in birth outcomes. There is still no solid proof that cash rewards directly lower the sex ratio at birth.

Both scholars warn that poorly designed incentives could backfire. They might create a perception that daughters need ‘compensation,’ or they could generate reverse inequality by favouring families with two girls over those with sons. Such outcomes could reinforce, rather than diminish, gender bias.

In sum, while cash rewards for two‑daughter families could be one useful tool, the experts agree they must be part of a larger strategy that reshapes social norms, improves the status of women and girls, and strengthens monitoring and protection mechanisms. Without these complementary measures, the cash incentive alone is unlikely to correct Vietnam’s skewed sex ratio.