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VIETNAM 36 <br />continued to increase, particularly in some wealthier areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi <br />Minh City. The government acknowledged the issue and was taking steps to <br />address it. <br />Children <br />Birth Registration: By law the government considers anyone born to at least one <br />Vietnamese citizen parent to be a citizen, although persons born to non - <br />Vietnamese parents may also acquire citizenship under certain circumstances. Not <br />all births were registered immediately, sometimes due to a lack of knowledge <br />among the populace. A birth certificate is required for public services, such as <br />education and health care, and the choice by some parents, especially ethnic <br />minorities, not to register their children affected the ability to enroll them in school <br />and receive government- sponsored health care. <br />Education: Education is compulsory, free, and universal through the age of 14. <br />Nevertheless, authorities did not always enforce the requirement, especially in <br />rural areas, where government and family budgets for education were strained and <br />children's contributions as agricultural laborers were valued. <br />Child Abuse: The UN and the General Statistics Office found that 25 percent of <br />children were victims of child abuse as reported by their mothers during a study on <br />domestic violence. The government did not make information available on the <br />extent of the problem or its efforts to combat it. <br />Sexual Exploitation of Children: Sexual harassment of children under age 16 is <br />illegal. The law criminalizes all acts of sale, fraudulent exchange, or control of <br />children as well as all acts related to child prostitution and forced child labor. <br />Sentences range from three years' to life imprisonment, and fines range from VND <br />five million to VND 50 million (approximately $240 to $2,400). The law also <br />specifies prison sentences for acts related to child prostitution, including harboring <br />prostitution (12 to 20 years), brokering prostitution (seven to 15 years), and buying <br />sex with minors (three to 15 years). Similarly, the law prohibits all acts of cruel <br />treatment, humiliation, abduction, sale, and coercion of children into any activities <br />harmful to their healthy development and provides for the protection and care of <br />disadvantaged children. <br />The minimum age of consensual sex is 18. Statutory rape is illegal and may result <br />in life imprisonment or capital punishment. Penalties for sex with minors between <br />the ages of 16 and 18, depending upon the circumstances, vary from five to 10 <br />