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Birth Registration
Vietnam
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Vietnam
Birth Registration
Declaration and Notification
Declaration and Notification
Informants
Who is designated as the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?
Either parent
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The informant is the person who reports to the local registrar the occurrence of a vital event within the prescribed time limit. The law should establish, clearly and unequivocally, one person primarily responsible for providing the information needed for birth registration to the civil registrar. The head of the health facility should be the primary informant for live births occurring in a health facility. Alternative informants, in order of priority, are: mother, father, nearest relative of the mother, any adult having knowledge of the facts. Additionally, the legislation should explicitly state what type of facility is considered a “health facility” for purposes of being an informant.
The law places the responsibility for declaring a birth primarily on the parents, even when born in a health institution. Either the mother or father may register birth.
Who is designated the primary informant for births occurring outside health facilities?
Either parent
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is recommended that the law establish clearly and unequivocally one person primarily responsible for providing the information needed for the registration to the civil registrar. If a live birth occurs outside a health facility, the birth attendant (such as a midwife, nurse, doctor or other medical professional), should be the primary informant designated by law. However, the law may designate alternative informants and establish the order in which each of them must assume his or her responsibilities. Alternative informants, in order of priority, are: mother, father, nearest relative of the mother, any adult having knowledge of the facts.
The responsibility for declaring a birth still rests on either parents of the child, regardless of whether birth occurs outside health facilities. In the absence of parents, the child's grandfather or grandmother, or other relative or the individual or organization raising the child, are designated informants.
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring in health facilities?
Notification
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring in health facilities, the most effective approach is to designate the head of the institution (or designee) as informant. Some countries follow a two-step process, in which the health sector notifies the registrar of the birth (providing some, but no all, needed information), but he parents must still declare the birth to the registrar in order for the birth to be registered. This two-step approach is considered less effective in ensuring high registration rates. In some countries, the health sector is neither informant nor notifier, but instead simply issues a document to the parent(s) that serves as proof of the birth. The health sectors limited role in this third option is not recommended practice. Finally in some countries, specified health staff may be designated as registrars or assigned some registrar functions, which helps bring registration closer to the people.
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring outside health facilities?
Notification
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births that occur outside a health facility, the most effective approach is to designate the birth attendant - e.g., doctor, nurse, or midwife - as the informant. For births occurring outside a health facility without a birth attendant, an effective approach is to designate community health workers (including vaccination workers, nurses, doctors and other health professionals who see newborns for paediatric visits) as informants to register the birth of children that are unregistered and visited by them. Alternatively, some countries follow a two-step process, wherein the healthcare workers notify the birth to the civil registrar; however, the parent or other informant must still declare the birth to the civil registrar in order to register the birth.
There is no formal legal mandate indicating what role the community nurse, midwife or commune health workers must play in births occurring outside a facility. However, the Ministry of Health does integrate birth registration into its public health programmes. Therefore, the health sector acts as a net to catch any births that are missed during initial registration.
Law Source
Role of Local Leaders and Other Institutions
Does the law provide a process for the registration of births occurring in prison or other detention facility?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births in custody, it is recommended that the law assign responsibility to a specified person, such as head of detention facility or head of health services within detention facility, to notify the civil registrar of such births.
There is no explicit clause outling the process for registering births occurring in custody or other detention facility.
Law Source
What role do local leaders or local authorities have in the registration process for births that occur in the community?
Certification
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring outside a health facility, local leaders or local authorities may have a role in providing parents with proof of the event (such as a birth notification), notifying the birth to the local registrar, or acting as the informant. It can be good practice to Integrate civil registration functions with the duties and responsibilities of established local authorities who have close direct links to communities
Local authorities at the commune and village levels play an active role in ensuring births are registered. Every commune (the lowest administrative unit, often a township or cluster of villages) has a justice officer and civil status officer responsible for civil registration. In particular, Article 16 of this law provides that in the absence of a medical birth certificate, a witness’s written confirmation of the birth may be submitted, and if there is no witness, a written pledge (affidavit) by the parent or registrant confirming the birth must be provided. These provisions ensure that home births or community births are not left unregistered due to lack of a hospital document.
