Over the past few months, nearly 700 households located near the Thuong Kon and Dak Dring reservoirs in Kon Plong District, Kon Tum Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands have been coping with a stream of earthquakes rocking the region.

While the earthquakes so far hitting Dak Nen and Dak Tang communes in Kon Plong District have all remained below 5.0 on the Richter scale, locals live in constant fear that the next quake to strike the region may be strong enough to destroy houses and end lives.

Living in Vietnam’s earthquake epicenter

Y Sa, a resident of Xo Luong Hamlet in Dak Nen Commune, has been unable to forget about the magnitude-4.7 earthquake that rocked the hamlet two weeks ago. 

“The earthquake was very scary. My house shook and there was nowhere to run," Y Sa said.

“It was terrible!"

A Dinh, a 37-year-old resident of Dak Tang Hamlet, Dak Tang Commune, just 27 kilometers from Xo Luong, has held onto similar fears since a recent tremor shook her home so violently that the roofing came loose.

“There have been many earthquakes recently. My bed was shaking so much that I woke up at midnight and was too scared to go back to sleep," Dinh said.

“It was so bad that all my furniture fell over.”

Many of Dak Tang’s 108 residents live atop a hill, stoking fears that if an earthquake hits during the rainy season, their houses will simply shake free from the earth and slide down the mountain.

“I’m truly worried,” A Dinh said.

“Earthquakes have cracked the walls of my house and all of my neighbors’ homes now all lean to one side.

“If this happens during rainy seasons, there will be serious landslides.”

Like Dinh, Y Sa also said that her family’s home atop a hill puts her in a precarious position should the earthquakes continue.

“Earthquakes happen all over this region, day and night. When they happen, there is no time to run,” said Y Sa.

It’s frightening

Tran Thanh Minh, chairman of the Dak Nen Commune People’s Committee, said there are 332 households living near the commune’s Dak Dring, 34 of whom are situated on a large hill.

These houses were all relocated at one point, but the families returned due to a lack of arable land in the resettlement area.

In Xa Luong Hamlet, most of these homes sit directly on slopes with narrow paths and large rocks blocking the way, making it difficult to escape when earthquakes hit.

Hundreds of households in Dak Tang are also in the same situation.

According to the Dak Tang Commune People’s Committee, 108 of the commune's 341 households are on a hill surrounded by cliffs.

“Our homes face the reservoirs and lean against cliffs. It is dangerous, especially in the rainy season but there is nowhere else to go," said Y Sa.

“The resettlement area was unfarmable, so we had to come back here to make a living."

Tran Thanh Minh, a member of the Dak Nen Commune People’s Committee, said that although earthquakes frequently strike the region, damage has been relatively minimal.  

Still, local residents are frightened that the situation might intensify.

Local authorities, in an attempt to keep everyone calm, have issued a guidebook with instructions on what to do in case of a severe earthquake.

They have also said they will take responsibility for any serious damage.

“So far, most local people know how to respond to earthquakes and households in dangerous areas have been moved to safer places,” said A Hung, vice-chairman of the Dak Tang Commune People’s Committee.

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