Hanoi, Feb 15 (IANS): The capital city of Vietnam has set the target of reducing the number of families with more than three children as its population surpassed 8 million people, according to the municipal Department of Health.

The city will reduce both the percentage of families with more than three children and the percentage of malnourished children under five years of age by 0.1 per cent, local newspaper Vietnam News reported on Wednesday, citing the deputy director of the department Vu Cao Cuong, Xinhua News Agency reported.

By the end of 2022, Hanoi's population hit 8.4 million people, accounting for 8.4 per cent of the whole country's population, he said.

The official noted that the city faced new challenges due to the large population scale and area. The number of families with at least three children decreased but not at a stable rate.

An aging population is also a major challenge to the capital that requires a proactive plan with proper policies to ensure the health, social welfare and benefits of senior citizens, according to Cuong.

He said the city will expand its communication work on population with special attention to adolescent and youth reproductive health, pre-marital counselling and health examination, prenatal and newborn screening, and the health of the elderly.

As of 2022, the population of Vietnam has reached 99.46 million people, a 0.97 percent increase from 2021.