Google Maps shows the location of the A Lưới Commune. — VNS Photo

SƠN LA — Two small earthquakes struck northern and central Việt Nam on Friday, rattling Sơn La Province and Huế City but causing no damage, according to the National Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre.

The first quake, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale, hit Bình Thuận Commune in Sơn La at 2.51pm, at a depth of about 10km.

Hours later, the second, slightly stronger 4.0-magnitude quake struck A Lưới Commune in Huế at 9.25pm, with a depth of roughly 8.3km.

Both were classified as minor tectonic earthquakes – the result of movement along natural fault lines.

"These are typical tectonic quakes, caused by active fault zones in the Earth’s crust," said Nguyễn Xuân Anh, Director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre.

"They’re part of the normal geological processes in regions with complex underground structures."

Sơn La sits along the Đà River fault, one of Việt Nam’s most active seismic zones, where mild tremors are relatively frequent. A Lưới, on the central coast, lies on another fault that occasionally produces small-scale quakes.

Earthquakes in Việt Nam are mostly minor, usually below magnitude 5.0, and rarely cause damage or casualties. Even so, scientists monitor them closely as part of long-term efforts to assess seismic risk and improve early-warning systems. — VNS