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Magnitude-5.0 Earthquake Shakes Northern Vietnam This Morning. Did You Feel It?

Hanoians felt tremors in the capital just after 8am this morning, only four days after the last earthquake to affect the city.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred about 10 kilometers underground, 43 kilometers southeast of Xinjing in China, which boarders Vietnam’s Cao Bang Province.

Hanoi’s Weatherdude, a near-mythical figure some compare to Thor (the hammer-wielding God associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength and the protection of mankind), again confirmed tremors were felt in the Vietnamese capital in a short post this morning. 

The dude’s post led to a flurry of comments from Hanoians confirming they felt swaying in buildings across the capital, although there are no news reports yet of any serious damage. 

Last Thursday, an earthquake centered in Laos and Thailand was felt by some in the capital. The magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck a border area between the two countries and caused high-rises in both Bangkok and Hanoi to sway, according to the Washington Post.

Despite the recent tremors, stronger quakes rarely afflict Vietnam. In 2018, a magnitude-5.3 earthquake centered in southern China rattled Hanoi and frightened many in the city. The earthquake's epicenter was about 10 kilometers into China's Yunnan Province, yet tremors were felt as far south as the capital, several hundred kilometers away.

[Photo via Creative Commons]

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