Xam Neua

Xam Neua lies in the mountainous Houaphanh country of northeastern Laos. Its name means “northern swamp”, recalling the wet ground of the valley among the steep surrounding hills. Houaphanh stood between the Lao and Vietnamese worlds, with numerous local communities in its river valleys and uplands. In the eighteenth century the Phuan ruler Chao Ong Lo withdrew to this country after defeat by Vientiane and began to assemble another army there.