BANGKOK/HANOI/SINGAPORE -- Southeast Asian countries are scrambling to tackle falling birth rates, with Vietnam abolishing its two-child policy this week to take on an issue also plaguing neighbors Thailand and Singapore.

Vietnam has scrapped its 37-year-old policy of limiting families to two children, as the country faces up to its ageing population and economic worries. The southeast Asian nation was "one of the last holdouts among countries with population-control policies",

Vietnam is the latest country to encourage bigger families. This week, Vietnam's government abandoned its long-standing policy limiting families to two children. And it’s dealing with a related issue that’s familiar to many of its regional neighbors.