Hanoi buildings shake after 5.4 magnitude quake hits China-Myanmar border

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hit a China - Myanmar border at 08.37am November 17 with its epicentre at a depth of about 48km, according to the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre under the Institute of Geophysics of Vietnam.

Three minutes after the quake, residents living and working in high-rise buildings in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, felt a tremor was running down the structures.

“While I was working at home, I felt as if my head was swimming, and the glass of water on the table was also shaking,” said Do Mai Huong, a resident of TSQ Euroland building in Ha Dong District.

“Several seconds later, I thought it was an earthquake. I phoned other residents of the building and they said they also felt that way,” added Huong.

The Institute of Geophysics of Vietnam said it would continue to keep a close watch on the earthquake.