HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam abolished its long-standing two-child limit Tuesday to try and reverse declining birth rates and ease the pressures of an aging population. The National Assembly passed amendments scrapping rules that limit families to having one or two children, state media Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday.

"Having children should match one's financial situation, and allow time for personal well-being," says 18-year-old Hanoi resident Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, after Vietnam's communist government scrapped its long-standing two-child policy in an effort to reverse the decline in the birth rate.

Vietnam on Tuesday scrapped its nearly four-decade policy limiting families to two children, as Vietnamese birth rates continue to drop, the older population increases and officials warn of the long-term risks of demographic decline for the economy,