Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, Director of the Vietnam Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre (under the Institute of Geophysics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), confirmed the above information.
According to Dr. Anh, the tremors may be due to the impact of a magnitude 6.1 earthquake that took place at 6:50 am (Hanoi time) this morning. It had a focal depth of about 38 km with the epicentre located in Sayabouly province.
He said that the sense of strong or weak vibration depends on the ground of each area. The Vietnam Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre will continue monitoring this earthquake, Anh added.
Reuters reported that earthquake aftershocks occurred in neighbouring countries, in which a magnitude 6 aftershock was recorded in Thailand.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Phuong, from the Institute of Geophysics, also said that the cause of the shaking in Hanoi was initially determined by the impact of the magnitude 6.1 quake in Laos.
According to Phuong, the earthquake occurred in northern Laos near the border areas of Vietnam’s Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces, so Vietnam certainly felt it, especially those in tall buildings or soft ground. "However, this earthquake is not harmful to Vietnam," Phuong emphasised.
Earlier, a shallow magnitude 4.2 earthquake occurred in Tan Ky district, Nghe An province at 3:32 pm on November 20, with a depth of about 10 km. In addition to shaking at the epicentre in Tan Ky district, other light shaking of houses and objects also appeared in the districts of Con Cuong, Quy Hop and Yen Thanh in Nghe An, lasting about four to five seconds.
