September 1877 Tsunami: Binh Thuan, Vietnam
A tsunami probably caused by an earthquake began at Binh Thuan, Vietnam in September 1877. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- September 1877
- Source
- Binh Thuan, Vietnam
- Cause
- Questionable earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 10.800° N, 108.300° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The first event was recorded in a book called Official History of the Great Nam, or, in Vietnamese, "Dai Nam Thuc luc chinh bien," which states that "from September to December 1877, there were three earthquakes at Binh Thuan; at the first time, water in rivers rose up, and brick houses shaken; the following two earthquakes were smaller."
The coastal areas of central Vietnam have many active small-scale volcanoes, and the submarine eruption of volcanoes can cause earthquakes and tsunamis. So, if the tsunamis in 1877 and 1882 at Binh Thuan coast really happened, the earthquakes that caused the tsunamis could have been caused by submarine volcanoes. Since at the time there was no seismic recording station near the Vietnam coast, the earthquakes were not recorded. Also, seismic stations near the Philippines coast could not record such weak earthquakes.
The author has collected all seismic data from 1662 up to today (Bautista et al., 2006; Berninghausen, 1969; Lau et al., 2010; USGS, 2012) and available seawater level data in the East Sea with the purpose of detecting any abnormal seawater level variation after earthquakes. Through this analysis, no abnormal water level variation was found at the coast of Vietnam after submarine earthquakes in the East Sea.
(all above from reference #12165)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binh Thuan | Vietnam | 35 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1877The 1800sTsunamis of VietnamAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 5681.