VIENTIANE, Laos—On the face of it, Laos is a no man's land for foreign investors.
This landlocked, Southeast Asian nation of 6.5 million people offers a tiny market. Experts say corruption is widespread. And some foreigners say they have been burned when deals in the country unraveled.
Yet investment is pouring in.
Foreign direct investment rose more than 40% in each of the past two years, largely as neighboring countries jostled for work in the resource and hydropower sectors. Chinese companies increasingly are breaking ground on real-estate projects, and Western companies including Coca-Cola Co. and French lens maker Essilor International ...
(BY BEN OTTO)