This cross-sectional study described some characteristics of childbirths and anthropometric indices of 1,258 newborns in Ha Nam province in 2011. The findings were the basis for community intervention programs on malnutrition. Rate of the mother age at birth from highest to lowest were: aged 20-24 (37 percent), aged 25-29 (36.3 percent), aged 30-34 (12.5 percent), aged under 20 (8.5 percent), and aged above 35 (5.7 percent). Gestational ages were full-term (89.9 percent), premature (6.6 percent), preterm (2.0 percent), and over-term (1.5 percent). Unnormal births included stillbirths (0.5 percent), neonatal mortality (0.33 percent) and malformation (0.17 percent). Three kinds of deliveries were normal (82.9 percent), caesareans (16.0 percent), and controlled deliveries with oxytocin (1.1 percent). 6.8 percent of births had more than one minutes of the timeline from birth to umbilical cord cutting. Infants weighing less than 2500g obtained 3.6 percent. Average weight was 3.18 kg for boys and 3.11kg for girls
the difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). The average length was 49.54 cm for boys and 48.95 cm for girls
the difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). Average head circumference was 32.82 cm for boys and 32.57 cm for girls
the difference was not statistically significant (p 0.05).