The sharp rise in sex ratios at birth in several major Asian countries, such as India and China, is one effect of a persistent strong son preference in a context of rapidly contracting family size. This imbalance to the detriment of girls has been attributed to three factors: under-registration of female births, sex-selective abortion, and excess female mortality in the first year of life related to differences in levels of care. Danièle Bélanger and her colleagues have examined the case of Vietnam, which has cultural affinities with China and has also introduced a family planning programme, the two-child policy, which is strict in its goals though uneven in its application. The data analysed by the authors, including valuable hospital data, do not support the conclusion of a significant increase in sex ratios at birth, although higher ratios are observed in particular social groups (government cadres) and at births of parity 3 and over. If confirmed, this lack of discrimination against girls would attest to a higher status of women in Vietnam than in China.