Vietnam has slightly relaxed the two-child policy it has maintained since the 1980s.

Under certain circumstances, couples will now be allowed to have a third child. This will be permitted if one of the children is from a previous marriage or is handicapped or if a child dies.

There are financial sanctions in Vietnam for violating the two-child rule. Even so, the law is broken to some extent: around 17 percent of women have more than two children.

The policy has caused a gender imbalance in Vietnam. Couples often choose abortion if an ultrasound scan shows that the pregnancy will produce a girl.