Tall buildings in Hanoi shook as a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit Sơn La Province at around 12.14pm local time on July 27.

Satellite image of Moc Chau District, where the earthquake occurred.
— Photo Google Earth 

The earthquake occurred in Moc Chau District, Son La Province with its epicentre at a depth of 14 kilometres.

According to an update, the second tremor measuring 3.0 hit Moc Chau District at 12.40pm.

The third tremor was recorded at 3.52 pm and measured 3.8 on the Richter scale.

Nguyen Xuan Anh, director of the Institute of Geophysics, said “After the earthquake, there will be few aftershocks. Citizens will feel different shaking levels depending on grounds in different areas."

Hanoi citizens panicked when the aftershocks reached the capital.

“This is my first time experiencing a tremor. I thought I had a medical problem,” said Nguyen Chung, an office worker in Hanoi.