But only for married couples.

Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Health cradles the country’s first surrogate baby at a hospital in Hanoi   

As Thailand closes it doors to commercial surrogacy, another South East Asian nation has tentatively begun to utilize surrogacy for couples unable to have children.

Early last year Vietnam amended its marriage and family legislation to allow altruistic surrogacy. Under new regulations, couples must have not yet had a child, and must show that they are unable to conceive, even with IVF.

Three hospitals in Vietnam now offer the procedure, and there have been over 100 applications from couples seeking a surrogate solution. The country’s first surrogate baby was born on Friday in a maternity hospital in Hanoi.  

Couples eligible for the procedure are very excited about the possibility of having a child. Officials say that they have been unable to meet the current demand.

Some doctors remain circumspect. Dr. Hoang Thi Diem Tuyet, head of the department reserved for women who meet with difficulties in child-bearing at the Tu Du Hospital in HCM City, fears that the procedure might become commercialised. “Surrogacy is a double-edged knife — on the one hand it supports the women to enjoy their legitimate right of being a mother, but on the other hand it can hurt them if it is misused for commercial purposes”, she told Xinhua news. 

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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