Catholic groups in Vietnam are expanding church-run initiatives to support pregnant women in crisis, as the country continues to grapple with high abortion rates and cases of infant abandonment.
In a report by Vatican’s Fides News Agency, Father Joseph Tran Van Bong underscored the importance of compassion and accompaniment during a training session for church volunteers.
“A word of sympathy, a hand of support can save a life,” the priest said. He addressed participants on listening, accompanying, and supporting pregnant women in difficulty, particularly those who are mentally traumatized or facing unwanted pregnancies.
The session was part of a training program for 100 collaborators organized last October at An Nhien Parish by the Life Protection Subcommittee of Caritas Ha Tinh Diocese in central Vietnam.
Vietnam records nearly 300,000 abortions each year, mainly among those ages 15 to 19, with 60 to 70 percent involving students, according to the country’s Department of Family Planning.
Abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy account for nearly 80 percent. A report from the Ministry of Health indicates that about 44 percent of young people in Vietnam engage in premarital sex.
A survey at Thai Nguyen University of Medicine and Pharmacy found that among students living together and having sexual relations, only 48 percent use contraception.
When pregnancy occurs, 64 percent choose abortion, partly because boyfriends “run away and leave their girlfriends in pregnancy alone.” The remaining 36 percent marry and continue married life.
Similar situations occur across Vietnam, particularly among young women who study or work far from home. The problem is especially pronounced in Binh Duong province in southern Vietnam, where about 700,000 people work in industrial zones, more than 70 percent of them migrants from other provinces.
According to the report, almost every day, unmarried female workers and students seek abortions at maternity hospitals and maternity homes.
Newborn babies are also abandoned weekly in hospitals near industrial and export processing zones. Estimates indicate that the abandonment of newborns has increased by 20 to 30 percent annually in recent years.
Faced with these realities, Catholic organizations and religious congregations have opened shelters known as “Cozy Homes” to support pregnant women without family assistance.
In addition to providing material support, the homes seek to ease the psychological trauma of women abandoned by families, parents, or partners.
Social media posts advertising “Temporary shelters for destitute women in pregnancy” or “Free rooms for alone pregnant women” have pointed women to church-run facilities such as Jesus Cozy Home, Faith Family, Gerardo Charity House, Mai Linh Cozy Homes operated by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and Mai Tam Cozy Homes run by the Order of St. Camillus.
Most women arrive at the homes experiencing loneliness, fear, and disappointment. They receive psychological support, job training, and guidance on prenatal care until they give birth safely.
A Vietnamese newspaper, Dan Viet, reported similar initiatives, noting: “Minh Giao Parish in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province in Southern Vietnam also organizes a Cozy Home for raising and caring for many abandoned babies. The parish is truly a refuge for little angels.”
