Before these children have had time to mature, they are forced to carry the sacred responsibility of parenthood on their shoulders, leaving their lives almost entirely reliant on family shelter. The resulting consequences exert a long-term impact on population quality and local sustainable development goals.

Mường Pồn stands among the 10 communes with the highest child marriage rates in Điện Biên province for many years. According to statistics from the Department of Health, during the first three months of 2026, the rate of child marriage out of total marriage cases in the commune reached up to 50 percent, with the majority involving adolescent girls. Take the case of L.N.H in Mường Mươn village, Mường Pồn commune, as an example. At just 16 years old and attending 9th grade, H dropped out of school due to falling in love early and an unwanted pregnancy. Q.T.L (maternal grandmother of L.N.H) shared that in the village in the past, girls married at 16 or 17. Once the children fell in love, both families had to help them with everything, accepting whatever meals were available, while planning for the grandchild to learn a trade later to earn a living.

According to the Mường Pồn commune People’s Committee, detecting and preventing child marriage faces immense difficulties because families often conceal it. By the time authorities or health cadres obtain information, the teenagers are already cohabitating as husband and wife.

Nguyễn Gia Tuấn, Vice Chairman of the Mường Pồn commune People’s Committee, stated: “In almost all child marriage cases, people conceal the truth, so by the time the commune administration or health workers discover it, the event has already transpired. The commune primarily focuses on mobilization and dissemination so that residents understand such actions violate the Law on Marriage and Family, while tasking village heads to proactively grasp local situations to promptly mobilize and prevent child marriage right from the grassroots level.”

Mường Phăng is also a commune with a high child marriage rate, recording 5 cases in the first three months of 2026. Many young girls fall in love early and experience unwanted pregnancies, forcing them to drop out of school before acquiring knowledge about reproductive health or parenting skills. Becoming pregnant before reaching adulthood, when adolescent bodies are not fully developed, leaves them highly vulnerable to dangerous complications such as premature birth, obstetrical accidents, or low birth weight. T.T.V in Lọng Luông village became pregnant unexpectedly and married before turning 16. During her pregnancy, due to frail health, she faced a risk of premature birth at under 30 weeks. Fortunately, following timely medical examinations and higher-level hospital transfers, both mother and child were saved. V shared that she was frail while pregnant, and because her baby was born prematurely, they had to visit the hospital repeatedly. She now stays home to care for her child while her husband works elsewhere to send money back to support them.

Child marriage constitutes a legal violation that brings numerous consequences to society. The 2014 Law on Marriage and Family stipulates that males must be at least 20 years old and females at least 18 years old to marry. Under Government’s Decree No.82/2020/NĐ-CP, committing child marriage or organizing child marriage can face administrative fines ranging from VND 1 million to 3 million, while maintaining unlawful marital relations with individuals under marriageable age incurs fines from VND 3 million to 5 million. Article 183 of the Criminal Code also stipulates that anyone organizing child marriage who has already received administrative penalties for the act but continues to commit the violation shall face fines from VND 10 million to 30 million or non-custodial reform for up to 2 years.

Despite clear legal provisions, child marriage persists across many localities in the province. According to statistics from the Department of Health, in 2025, the rate of child marriage couples out of total marriage couples province-wide stood at 31.9 percent; in the first three months of 2026, this figure rose to 32.5 percent. In Nậm Nèn commune alone, the child marriage rate reached 100 percent.

Lawyer Bùi Đình Minh from the Điện Biên provincial Bar Association noted: “Child marriage occurs, yet the number of handled cases remains very small because it takes place quietly within communities. Without informants or denunciations, local authorities and functional agencies cannot intervene in time. Another cause stems from backward customs and habits, alongside a lack of understanding regarding legal regulations and associated sanctions. Only when local authorities get involved drastically and public awareness is elevated can child marriage be restrained and prevented.”

Child marriage causes adolescents to drop out of school early, bringing long-term consequences to maternal and child health, population quality, and each family’s opportunity to escape poverty. Preventing and combating child marriage requires joint efforts from local authorities, schools, and the entire community, thereby creating conditions for every child to have opportunities to study and mature before entering married life with appropriate age, physical readiness, psychological maturity, and parenting skills.