A mild earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale struck Can Yen Commune, Cao Bang Province, at 4:42 p.m. on October 7, according to the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Center under the Institute of Geophysics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

The quake’s epicenter was located at latitude 22.936°N and longitude 105.938°E, with a focal depth of about 16.5 kilometers. The center classified the event as disaster risk level 0, meaning it posed no danger to the public.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, Director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Center, said this was a small earthquake occurring along the Cao Bang–Tien Yen fault zone, a secondary fault stretching northwest to southeast from China through Cao Bang to Quang Ninh Province.

In addition to the quake in Cao Bang, five other mild tremors measuring between 2.5 and 3.4 magnitude were also recorded in Mang Ri and Mang But Communes, Quang Ngai Province. All of these were classified as risk level 0 events.

The center is continuing to monitor seismic activity in these regions.

Since the beginning of 2025, approximately 300 earthquakes have been recorded across Vietnam’s mainland and coastal areas, most of them occurring in Kon Plong District of the former Kon Tum Province, now part of Quang Ngai.

Unlike the natural seismic activity in Cao Bang, the quakes in Quang Ngai are induced earthquakes linked to water storage operations in local hydropower reservoirs.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh noted that since 2021, induced seismicity has occurred frequently in this region, with over 20 tremors recorded in a single day on some occasions.

PV