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.

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

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.

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 (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").

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

• Sam Neua travel guide from Wikivoyage