The 3.9 magnitude earthquake hits Hoa Binh at the depth of 12km

The earthquake jolted the area at around 3pm at the depth of 12km, said the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre under the Institute of Geophysics of Vietnam.

The quake caused no disaster risk, and scientists are keeping a close watch on its developments, said the center.

In late November a 3.0 magnitude earthquake also hit Ha Giang province, another mountainous locality in the north of Vietnam.

Hoa Binh and the northwestern provinces are the places with the most frequent seismic activity in Vietnam. This area has many highly active faults such as the Dien Bien-Muong Lay fault, and the Ma River-Tuan Giao-Lai Chau fault.