Logistics and the Laos economy - linking up and reaching out

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There’s a phrase in southeast Asia: the Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch it, and the Laos listen to it grow. (We’re guessing that the Thais sell it.) But Laos, the small landlocked country wedged between Thailand, Vietnam and China, is starting to benefit from its geography. As this article points out, Laos could simply end up being a ‘chute’ for goods going from Thailand to China. But if it plays its cards right, with its low labour costs and special economic zones, along with new transport infrastructure, it could be an importer of raw materials and exporter of finished goods to China.