HANOI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will construct 12 additional earthquake warning stations in the future, raising the total number nationwide to 36, local newspaper Saigon Liberation reported Thursday.

    The new stations will be built in some earthquake-prone areas with total investment of over 70 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 4.4 million U.S. dollars), the newspaper quoted Bui Cong Que, director of the country's Geophysics Institute, as saying.

    Vietnam's northwestern region is vulnerable to earthquakes measuring up to 7-8 on the Richter scale, he said, noting that the country has yet to face any earthquakes measuring over 7 on the Richter scale.

    Most of the existing stations were located in the Northern region, including the seven provinces of Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Lang Son and Hoa Binh provinces, and the two cities of Hanoi and Hai Phong.