There are few countries in the world where as many babies are aborted as in Vietnam. An old lady lays her to rest in a fetus cemetery. Almost all of them are girls.
Nguyen Thi Nhiem squats in front of their graves and lights incense sticks. The resting places are decorated with plastic sunflowers and wild plants that have dried up under the warm Vietnamese sun. But this is not a normal cemetery: here – in the town of Ben Coc north of Hanoi – only tiny creatures that have never lived on earth are buried in small, rectangular clay vessels. And there are many of them in Vietnam. Many many.
According to UN statistics, the country has had one of the highest abortion rates in the world for years. To ensure that the fetuses have a dignified place to be buried after an abortion, Nguyen Thi Nhiem bought land near a travel field 16 years ago and turned it into a cemetery for unborn life. Here she prays for the souls of the unwanted children.
Today the burial site covers around 1,800 square meters, where more than 240,000 fetuses are buried in mass graves. 80 percent were between one and three months old, but many were older. “Every day I receive 15 to 20 fetuses, some of which are brought to the cemetery by student volunteers. My husband picks up others from nearby hospitals and clinics,” the 64-year-old tells dpa.
Male offspring desired
According to UN estimates from 2022, at least 300,000 abortions are carried out in the Mekong country every year. But the number of unreported cases is high. The National Association for Family Planning (VINAFPA) speaks of 1.2 to 1.6 million abortions annually in a country with around 98 million inhabitants. For comparison: 104,000 cases were reported in Germany last year.
The special feature: In Vietnam these are often sex-specific abortions. Because most couples want to have sons. The preference for male offspring is culturally deeply rooted. The main reason is the persistent influence of Confucianism, which views women as subordinate. Sons are considered the primary breadwinners, tasked with managing family assets and caring for their aging parents. “Although sex-selective abortions are illegal in Vietnam, many couples find ways to ensure they have sons – contributing to the country’s highest abortion rate in the region.” says Khuat Thu Hong, director of the Hanoi-based Institute for Social Development Studies. Many women are forced to become pregnant several times in order to give birth to a boy. Others would have to have multiple abortions to achieve this goal.
This is also evident in the fetal cemetery. “Of 100 fetuses buried here, 90 are female and only 10 are male,” reports Nhiem. “This is clearly a consequence of gender selection.”
Space in the fetal cemetery is becoming scarce
Vietnam’s population bureau estimates that if the gender imbalance remains high, there will be 1.5 million more men than women in the country by 2034. By 2050 the number would already be 4.3 million. “Vietnam will face the same problems as China because men will have difficulty finding partners,” expert Hong is convinced. The frequent result: prostitution and trafficking in women.
When she was younger, Nhiem used to lay embryos and fetuses to rest almost every day. She now has two large freezers in which she stores the tiny packages for a few days before carrying out the funerals once a week. Years ago she purchased additional land because there was no longer enough space. “Sooner or later the cemetery will be overcrowded again,” she says sadly.
Abortions are permitted in Vietnam – provided they are not sex-selective – up to the 22nd week. However, there are also a large number of unsafe abortions that are not carried out by experts and pose great risks for women.
New sexual freedom
According to the Ministry of Health, one reason for the extremely high number of unwanted pregnancies is a lack of knowledge about contraceptive methods – but also a social change towards more sexual freedom. In fact, 60 to 70 percent of young women who have abortions are still in their teens.
“Today’s youth have increasingly open minds and concepts when it comes to love and sex,” explains Hong. “Many are willing to have sexual intercourse and accept an abortion in the event of an unintended pregnancy.” But married couples are also increasingly opting for an abortion because children are associated with high costs. There is now a trend towards nuclear families.
Meanwhile, Nhiem continues to bury fetuses. “I’m getting old. If I had one wish, it would be that the number of abortions would decrease and that not so many fetuses would be deprived of their right to life,” she says. Their cemetery should be a symbol and a reminder to young people to take responsibility for unborn children.