A 4.4 Richter earthquake centred on the northern port city of Haiphong on October 3 morning shook buildings in neighbouring areas, including the capital Hanoi.
People in high buildings in Hanoi could feel the quake
Dung, a worker in a building on Tam Trinh Street, Hanoi said his computer shook at around 10 am. "It was just a few seconds but many people felt it. Our co-workers said it was an earthquake but after seeing shaking end, people returned to work." he said.
Thuy Nhung, a worker in Duy Tan Street said she and her co-workers felt the tremor for three or four seconds.
Nguyen Hong Phuong, Deputy Director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre at the Institute of Geophysics confirmed the information. Because the earthquake's centre was far from the city, few people heard the sound but people in high buildings could clearly feel the quake.
Others provinces such as Quang Ninh or Hai Duong were also affected. Nguyen Thanh Duy, a local in Ha Long City said people in high buildings were panicked, as they feared a stronger earthquake.
Cat Hai Island in Haiphong City was affected, especially by those in high-rises. Computer monitors or the glasses on the table were moved. The quake in Haiphong also lasted longer, about 20 seconds.
People said a five second quake was strong enough it made a standing person temporarily lose balance, then the quake weakened and by the time people reached the ground, the quake had ended.
According to the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre, at 3:18:47 am (GMT) or 10:18:47 am (Hanoi), a 4.4 Richter earthquake happened at 20.81 north latitude, 106.66 east longitude, the depth of the target was 15 km, which is estimated at Kien An District, Haiphong City.
The earthquake could cause level V vibrations on the seismic MSK-64 scale and caused no reported damage.
The epicentre of the earthquake (the red dot) was estimated to be at Kien An District