A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck Bao Lac Commune in Cao Bang Province on the evening of July 30, with local residents reporting noticeable shaking.
The Institute of Earth Sciences said the earthquake occurred at 7.45 pm. The epicentre was located at a depth of about 10 kilometres, near the Vietnam-China border, approximately 210 kilometres north of Hanoi.
The earthquake was assigned a natural disaster risk level of 0, indicating no significant threat.
The Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre said it was continuing to monitor the situation.
Several residents in Bao Lac Commune said they heard a loud rumbling noise followed by ground shaking when the earthquake struck.
"At that moment, my family thought the house was collapsing, so we ran outside," Phong, a local resident of Bao Lac Commune, said.
Bao Lac Commune lies within the Gam River fault zone, one of the active geological fault systems in northeastern Vietnam.
Geological studies show that the area regularly experiences minor to moderate earthquakes. While such tremors are rarely strong enough to cause damage, they are often noticeable to local residents.
In Vietnam, earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 3.9 are classified as weak and are generally felt by some people but seldom cause damage.
