Xam Neua (ຊຳເໜືອ , sometimes transcribed as ''Sam Neua'' or ''Samneua'', literally 'northern swamp'), is the capital of
Houaphanh Province
Houaphanh province ( Laotian: ຫົວພັນ ; Romanization of Lao: ''Houaphan'') is a province in eastern Laos. Its capital is Xam Neua.
Houaphanh province covers an area of . The province is bordered by Vietnam to the north, east, and so ...
,
Laos, in northeast Laos.
Demographics
Residents are mostly Lao, Vietnamese, and Hmong, with some Tai Dam, Tai Daeng, and Tai Lu. The predominant language is
Lao with minorities of
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
and
Hmong
Hmong may refer to:
* Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand
* Hmong cuisine
* Hmong customs and culture
** Hmong music
** Hmong textile art
* Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...
.
French is spoken by a minority of people as a legacy of the French colonial era. It is taught in schools and used in public works and government.
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.
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
The Battle of Lima Site 85, also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was fought as part of a military campaign waged during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Pathet Lao, against airm ...
(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").
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Houaphanh Province