Doctors in Ho Chi Minh City emphasise that physical changes in children should not be hastily attributed to early puberty, as alarm grows over rising cases and parental misconceptions.
Parents should not assume that every physical change means a child has entered early puberty, doctors in Ho Chi Minh City have warned, as concern over the issue grows in both Vietnam and abroad. At a seminar on 13 September organised by the Applied Scientific Nutrition Council, doctors said they were hearing questions about early puberty every day, while the World Health Organization has said cases have risen sharply over roughly the past decade. The council also said its own mailbox has received hundreds of questions, many of them about diet. According to the seminar speakers, incomplete statistics in Vietnam from 2018 to 2021 recorded about 700 children with early puberty, roughly twice the earlier level, with girls affected far more often than boys.
The meeting also exposed how confused many parents remain. When asked when early puberty should be suspected, responses were split between a girl younger than eight whose breasts begin to develop, a 12-year-old boy with acne, and a nine-year-old boy growing faster than usual. Pham Cong Luan, a specialist doctor and council member, said the range of answers showed how uncertain parents are when they try to judge the issue from isolated signs. Trương Hữu Khanh, a doctor and holder of the title “Meritorious Teacher”, said breast development alone is not proof of puberty, let alone early puberty, and that an early first period does not automatically confirm it either. He also said being tall for age is not the same as early puberty and dismissed the idea that formula milk causes the condition.
The doctors said the real problem is that many families focus on one symptom and draw the wrong conclusion. Luan compared that approach to “thầy bói xem voi”, a Vietnamese saying meaning people who only examine one part of a larger whole. He urged parents to stop comparing their child with neighbours’ children and to seek medical advice if they are worried, rather than relying on searches online that can deepen confusion. The NHS says early puberty can have several causes and should be assessed in context, while Mayo Clinic advises parents to look for a pattern of development rather than a single sign.
Dang Thi Kim Huyen, another specialist doctor on the panel, said puberty is a natural process in which a child develops physically, biologically and emotionally over several years. She said girls generally begin normal development from around age eight and boys from around age nine, with the process often continuing until about 15 in girls and 17 in boys. Huyen stressed that changes such as menstruation or a growth spurt do not, on their own, mean puberty has started too early. The broader lesson from the seminar, she said, is that parents need to understand the process as a whole and support children through both the physical changes and the emotional and psychological adjustments that come with growing up.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
