Xam Neua
Xam Neua ເມືອງຊຳເໜືອ Sam Neua or Samneua | |
|---|---|
| Xam Neua District | |
 | |
  Xam Neua Location in Laos | |
| Coordinates: 20°24′54″N104°02′53″E / 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[sámnɯ̌a], sometimes transcribed as Sam Nuea or Samneua, literally 'northern swamp'; French: Xam-Nua), is the capital of Houaphanh Province, 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]
Climate
| Climate data for Xam Neua, elevation 1,000 m (3,300 ft), (1990–2019 normals, extremes 2002–2025) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.8(87.4) | 34.0(93.2) | 37.6(99.7) | 38.2(100.8) | 37.5(99.5) | 36.0(96.8) | 36.8(98.2) | 33.9(93.0) | 34.0(93.2) | 32.0(89.6) | 32.4(90.3) | 32.0(89.6) | 38.2(100.8) |
| 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) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.0(59.0) | 16.8(62.2) | 19.9(67.8) | 22.7(72.9) | 24.2(75.6) | 24.9(76.8) | 24.7(76.5) | 24.4(75.9) | 23.2(73.8) | 21.1(70.0) | 18.4(65.1) | 15.2(59.4) | 20.9(69.6) |
| 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) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −1.1(30.0) | 0.2(32.4) | 3.6(38.5) | 7.9(46.2) | 7.0(44.6) | 13.5(56.3) | 16.5(61.7) | 15.0(59.0) | 10.9(51.6) | 8.4(47.1) | 2.0(35.6) | −0.4(31.3) | −1.1(30.0) |
| 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) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.1 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 8.6 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 10.5 | 7.2 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 91 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 79.4 | 75.1 | 73.1 | 71.6 | 72.9 | 73.0 | 78.3 | 79.9 | 80.3 | 81.3 | 79.9 | 79.3 | 77.0 |
| Source 1: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteomanz (precipitation days 2002–2020)[4]SeaDelt (humidity 2016–2022)[5] | |||||||||||||
Daily life
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 WarBattle 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 FieldsMemorial near Phnom Penh in Cambodia. It is near Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (pronounced "naam et poo loo-ee").[6]
- Sam Neua's main street
- Wat Pho Xai
- Lao Front for National Construction building, Xam Neua
References
- ^"Results of Population and Housing Census 2015"(PDF). Lao Statistics Bureau. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^"จากแพร่ถึงเชียงราย ไม่ยอมพ่ายแก่โควิด". Thai Post | อิสรภาพแห่งความคิด. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^"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.
- ^"SYNOP/BUFR observations. Data by months". Meteomanz. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^"Statistical Yearbook 2016–2022 ສະຖຕິ ປິ ະຈາ ປີ 2016–2022". Lao Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Planning and Investment. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^"Nam Et". Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
External links
Sam Neua travel guide from Wikivoyage
