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Xam Nua, Laos

Taken on: 5th March, 2007. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See Sparky the Neon Cat's page of Flickr

Read more about Sam Neua

Hua Phan and its capital Sam Neua rival Phongsali for the title of Laos' most remote province. Mountainous and particularly scenic, the province has a mish-mashed network of dirt and sealed roads and lacklustre public transport to match. The going is slow in Hua Phan.

During Pathet Lao times, Sam Neua (also spelt Xam Nua) and the nearby caves at Vieng Xai formed the Pathet Lao capital, and it was here and in equally remote Phongsali, that the Pathet Lao forces regrouped after the Geneva Accord.

Hua Phan gets only the most determined travellers passing through, as the going is slow and the delays common. Nevertheless many find it a very rewarding part of the country -- certainly one of the least-touristed parts of Laos.

Sam Neua sits in a small picturesque valley, a town of white concrete ... Read our complete Sam Neua travel guide

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