According to Nguyen Xuan Anh, Director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre, the earthquake occurred at 10.21 am in Muong Cha District, Dien Bien Province. It had a magnitude of 3.5 and a focal depth of approximately 10 kilometres.
“This earthquake poses no natural disaster risk and is classified at level 0,” Anh said, noting that the centre continues to monitor the situation closely.
Despite its relatively low magnitude, many residents reported feeling tremors. Nguyen Phuong Lien, a local resident, said she was sitting indoors when objects in the room began to shake.
“I felt something similar to the earthquake on May 16, so I panicked and ran outside,” she said.
On May 16, Muong Cha District experienced two earthquakes in succession, with magnitudes of 5.0 and 4.0 respectively.
The 5.0 magnitude quake was assigned a level 2 disaster risk in the area near its epicentre. Residents in Dien Bien and neighbouring provinces such as Son La and Lao Cai also reported feeling the tremors.
According to a preliminary report from the Dien Bien Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, the May 16 earthquake caused cracks in the walls of eight houses, four schools, one medical centre, and three administrative buildings. The estimated damage was valued at around VND 1.85 billion (approximately USD 72,500).
Dien Bien lies in the Northwest region of Vietnam, home to two major seismic fault zones: the Dien Bien, Lai Chau Fault and the Song Ma, Son La Fault. As a result, earthquakes occur frequently in the region.
Historical records indicate that Dien Bien has experienced several high-intensity earthquakes in the past, including events measuring 5.3 to 6.9 in 1935, 6.7 in 1983, 5.3 in 2001, 4.3 in 2019, and 4.5 in 2022.
Notably, the 5.3 magnitude earthquake in 2001 caused severe damage estimated at VND 210 billion (approximately USD 8.2 million), destroying numerous structures.
