The latest tremor hit Mang Ri Commune in Quang Ngai on Saturday morning, registering a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter scale at a depth of about 8km.
It followed two smaller quakes on Friday – one of magnitude 3.6 in Son La and another of 4.0 in Hue later that evening.
Nguyen Xuan Anh, Director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center, described the Quang Ngai event as a 'triggered earthquake' likely linked to local stress changes in the Earth’s crust rather than major tectonic movement.
Since 2021, scientists have recorded hundreds of small quakes across the region historically part of Kon Tum, especially around Kon Plong District (now part of Quang Ngai).
The strongest in recent years – magnitude 5.0 – struck in July 2024, following a 4.7 quake in August 2022.
The Director of the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center said the pattern was expected to continue but that future quakes were unlikely to exceed magnitude 5.5. He added that more detailed studies were needed to better understand the region’s seismic activity.
Earthquakes in Vietnam are mostly minor, usually below magnitude 5.0, and rarely cause damage or casualties. Even so, scientists monitor them closely as part of long-term efforts to assess seismic risk and improve early-warning systems.
