While UNIS students were asleep or at conferences at 10:18AM on Wednesday October 3rd, an earthquake shook northern Vietnam.

The epicenter was 12km beneath the Thuy Nguyen district and hit the northern city of Hai Phong although no damage has been reported so far. There have been reports from people in the city of Hanoi, parts of Hai Phong City, and the provinces of Quang Ninh and Bac Ninh.

A series of seismic faults cross northern Vietnam. They originate in southern China and run southeast towards Hanoi and Hai Phong. The map (below) shows the location of the fault lines. The satellite image at the bottom of this article shows the landforms created by these faults. The earthquake which struck Hai Phong likely occurred on either the Red River or Chay River fault line.

Tell us if you felt any tremors or any stories about your experiences with this earthquake or any others you’ve experienced in the comments below!