Vietnam will invest nearly 4.4 million USD (70 billion VND) into building 12 earthquake warning stations, announced an official from the Geophysics Institute on May 22.

The new stations, to be built in earthquake-prone areas, will raise the total number nationwide to 36, Director of the Geophysics Institute Bui Cong Que said.

Existing stations are located mostly in the northern region as well as in the central Nha Trang city and Central Highlands Da Lat city. However, these stations are somewhat inefficient due to slow communications and low quality of information, said the institute director.

Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La and Lao Cai provinces in the northwest Vietnam are the most vulnerable to earthquakes, according to the Geophysic Institute`s earthquake map.

The second most vulnerable region is the northeast including Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces.

Hanoi and northern Hoa Binh province rank third on the earthquake-prone map, VNA reported.

Source: ANTARA News