Earthquake in Laos rattles Hanoi and northern Vietnam

According to the Institute of Earth Sciences under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, the quake's focal depth was about 10 km. The epicenter was located roughly 150 km from Hanoi and 140 km from the north-central Thanh Hoa Province.

Hanoi residents, particularly those in high-rise buildings, felt the impact clearly.

Nguyen Hong Hanh, 32, who lives on the 16th floor of an apartment building in My Dinh, said she was lying in bed when she felt the walls and curtains shake strongly for about 10 seconds.

In Ha Dong Ward, Tran Van Long reported that items on his table and TV shelf shook twice in succession.

Similar tremors were also recorded in Hanoi's suburban areas, including Xuan Mai and Quoc Oai wards, as well as in the provinces of Phu Tho, Son La, and Lai Chau, where residents reported feeling the ground sway slightly for a brief period.

Houaphan Province, which shares a border with Thanh Hoa, lies along the Ma River fault zone. This is a major, seismically active tectonic fault system in Northwest Vietnam that is capable of generating significant earthquakes.

The fault zone stretches from Vietnam's Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces down to Thanh Hoa and continues into Laos, an area that frequently experiences minor earthquakes due to this geological activity.