The location of the earthquake occuring on Novermber 12 at Việt Nam-Lao border. — Photo released by the Institute of Earth Sciences

HÀ NỘI — Magnitude 4.8 earthquake had occurred in Laos, about 5km from the Vietnamese border, causing noticeable tremors in many areas of Hà Nội and several other localities last night, reported the Institute of Earth Sciences (Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology) on Thursday morning.

Specifically, the earthquake took place at 11:26:19pm on Wednesday (November 12) in Laos’ Houaphanh Province, about 5km from Na Mèo Commune of the central province Thanh Hoá.

According to the institute, the 4.8 magnitude earthquake took place at a focal depth of about 10km, classified as level one on the five-level natural disaster risk scale.

As the epicentre was about 150km from Hà Nội, many residents of the capital clearly felt the tremor especially in higher floors.

On the 12th floor of an apartment building in Bắc Từ Liêm District, Hà Nội, Đoàn Xuân Hương said she was lying down when she felt the walls and curtains shaking strongly for about ten seconds.

Nguyễn Văn Bằng, who lives in a five-storey house in the Mỹ Đình area, said his family’s security camera captured footage of a motorbike in the yard shaking and moving slightly for several seconds.

Earlier, on November 7, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake occurred in Bình Thuận Commune of the northern mountainous province Sơn La, with a focal depth of about ten kilometres.

Houaphanh Province, which borders Thanh Hoá Province, lies along the Sông Mã fault zone that extends from Điện Biên and Lai Châu down to Quan Sơn (Thanh Hoá) and into Laos.

This area frequently experiences minor earthquakes caused by fault activity. — VNS