Xam Neua

Xam Neua ເມືອງຊຳເໜືອ Sam Neua or Samneua
District & municipality
Xam Neua District
Xam Neua Location in Laos
Coordinates: 20.415°N 104.048°E / 20.415; 104.048
Country	Laos
Admin. division	Houaphanh Province
Population  (2015)[1]
• Total	56,900
• Religions	Buddhism
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)

Xam Neua (Lao: ຊຳເໜືອ, romanized: Sam Nư̄a, pronounced [sám nɯ̌a], sometimes transcribed as Sam Nuea or Samneua, literally 'northern swamp'; French: Xam-Nua), is the capital of Houaphanh Province, Laos, in northeast Laos.

History

After fleeing from Phrae, deposed king Phiriya Thepphawong escaped from Northern Thailand to Luang Prabang, residing in Xam Neua from 1903-1909.[2]

Demographics

Residents are mostly Lao, Vietnamese, and Hmong, with some Tai Dam, Tai Daeng, and Tai Lue. The predominant language is Lao with Vietnamese and Hmong-speaking minorities. French is spoken by a small minority of people as a legacy of the French colonial era. It is taught in schools and used in public works and government.

Climate

Climate data for Xam Neua, elevation 1,000 m (3,300 ft), (1990–2019)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	20.3 (68.5)	22.9 (73.2)	26.2 (79.2)	28.6 (83.5)	29.1 (84.4)	29.1 (84.4)	28.7 (83.7)	28.3 (82.9)	27.2 (81.0)	24.9 (76.8)	23.0 (73.4)	20.0 (68.0)	25.7 (78.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	9.7 (49.5)	10.7 (51.3)	13.5 (56.3)	16.8 (62.2)	19.2 (66.6)	20.7 (69.3)	20.7 (69.3)	20.4 (68.7)	19.2 (66.6)	17.2 (63.0)	13.8 (56.8)	10.4 (50.7)	16.0 (60.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	20 (0.8)	8 (0.3)	47 (1.9)	111 (4.4)	190 (7.5)	198 (7.8)	283 (11.1)	284 (11.2)	210 (8.3)	95 (3.7)	28 (1.1)	13 (0.5)	1,487 (58.6)
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations[3]

Daily life

Xam Neua is in a valley in Houaphanh Province. At 05:45 and 17:45 each day there are public addresses from loudspeakers atop a tower on the school playground, expounding on communist life and philosophy. These addresses are usually accompanied by Lao music.^[citation needed]

It is said that there is a communist re-education camp in Xam Neua and that it was the Pathet Lao capital during the Laotian Civil War Battle of Lima Site 85 (LS-85), 11 March 1968. It is near the Pathet Lao refuges in the Viengxay caves, which the Lao government hopes to promote as a tourism destination similar to the Củ Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and the Killing Fields Memorial near Phnom Penh in Cambodia. It is near Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (pronounced "naam et poo loo-ee").[4]

• 
  Sam Neua's main street
• 
  Wat Pho Xai
• 
  Lao Front for National Construction building, Xam Neua

Transportation

Xam Neua was formerly served by Nathong airport. The town had grown to surround the airport so it could not be expanded. It was replaced when the new Nong Khang airport was completed in 2023. There are scheduled flights to and from Vientiane.

References

1. "Results of Population and Housing Census 2015" (PDF). Lao Statistics Bureau. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
2. "จากแพร่ถึงเชียงราย ไม่ยอมพ่ายแก่โควิด". Thai Post | อิสรภาพแห่งความคิด. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
3. "Climatology and agroclimatology atlas of the Lao People's Democratic Republic" (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
4. "Nam Et". Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2010-09-25.

External links

• Sam Neua travel guide from Wikivoyage