A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise.

Read more: Dodge City

Watch, from Bloomberg Originals: How One Man Rules in Asia's Golden Triangle

A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise.
Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-golden-triangle-special-economic-zone/?srnd=phx-businessweek">Dodge City</a> Watch, from Bloomberg Originals: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO29RHhlS6g">How One Man Rules in Asia's Golden Triangle</a>

We’re taking The Big Take to Asia. Each week, Bloomberg’s Oanh Ha tells a story from the home of the world's most dynamic economies - and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive the ever-shifting region.

We’re taking The Big Take to Asia. Each week, Bloomberg’s Oanh Ha tells a story from the home of the world's most dynamic economies - and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive the ever-shifting region.

Big Take Asia

Inside Southeast Asia’s Most Notorious Crime Hub

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ce857bd7-bea1-45c4-ac72-b1d101773edc/transcript

With the war in Iran creating a shortage of the fuel and fertilizer that farmers across Asia need to plant and harvest rice, many smallholders are seeking alternative supplies or pondering whether to plant at all.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, agriculture reporter Hallie Gu tells host Oanh Ha what the bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz means for rice farmers from Cambodia to India — and how the fate of the region’s staple crop shapes its economy and politics.

Read more: Fuel Shortages From Iran War Threaten Asia’s Biggest Food Staple
Listen more: Asia Is Bearing the Brunt of the Iran War Energy Crisis

Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Hallie Gu; Edited by Patrick Hirsch Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

With the war in Iran creating a shortage of the fuel and fertilizer that farmers across Asia need to plant and harvest rice, many smallholders are seeking alternative supplies or pondering whether to plant at all.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take Asia podcast, agriculture reporter Hallie Gu tells host Oanh Ha what the bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz means for rice farmers from Cambodia to India &mdash; and how the fate of the region&rsquo;s staple crop shapes its economy and politics. Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-11/fuel-shortages-from-iran-war-threaten-asia-s-biggest-food-staple">Fuel Shortages From Iran War Threaten Asia&rsquo;s Biggest Food Staple</a> Listen more: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/asia-is-bearing-the-brunt-of-the-iran-war-energy-crisis/id1746141911?i=1000755828464">Asia Is Bearing the Brunt of the Iran War Energy Crisis</a>
Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Hallie Gu; Edited by Patrick Hirsch Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

How Hormuz Closure Could Squeeze Asia’s Staple Crop

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ad70485f-5e0e-43f8-8f4b-b42c015caa3b/transcript

日本のアパレル王者、ユニクロ。アジアや米国の沿岸部で成功を収めた同社が、今まさに挑もうとしているのが、ブランド認知がまだ低い「フライオーバー・カントリー（内陸部）」と呼ばれる広大なエリアです。ここを制覇することは、創業者の柳井正氏にとってグローバルNo.1への「最後の難関」を意味します。

今回のエピソードでは、テキサス州ダラスの店舗取材に加え、銀座の旗艦店で柳井氏の買い物に同行した様子を披露。柳井氏本人のインタビュー音声を交え、なぜこのエリアを攻略しようとしているのか、そしてなぜ経営の第一線に留まり続けるのか、その真意に迫ります。

関連記事：ユニクロ柳井正、不屈の野心－米国攻略に向けた成長戦略の真髄「売上3兆円はいける」

ユニクロの東京旗艦店を柳井氏と歩く「買う立場で考える、全部」−世界26市場を支える経営哲学

制作・ホスト： 野上英文、 取材：リード・スティーブンソン 、編集：岩井春翔 、ファクトチェック：香月夏子 、サウンドデザイン・エンジニア： 安澤隆比古 、シニアプロデューサー： Naomi Shavin、デピュティ・エグゼクティブプロデューサー： Julia Weaver、エグゼクティブプロデューサー： Nicole Beemsterboer

日本のアパレル王者、ユニクロ。アジアや米国の沿岸部で成功を収めた同社が、今まさに挑もうとしているのが、ブランド認知がまだ低い「フライオーバー・カントリー（内陸部）」と呼ばれる広大なエリアです。ここを制覇することは、創業者の柳井正氏にとってグローバルNo.1への「最後の難関」を意味します。
今回のエピソードでは、テキサス州ダラスの店舗取材に加え、銀座の旗艦店で柳井氏の買い物に同行した様子を披露。柳井氏本人のインタビュー音声を交え、なぜこのエリアを攻略しようとしているのか、そしてなぜ経営の第一線に留まり続けるのか、その真意に迫ります。
関連記事：<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/jp/news/features/2026-02-02/T9UQGPKIUPT600">ユニクロ柳井正、不屈の野心－米国攻略に向けた成長戦略の真髄「売上3兆円はいける」</a>
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/jp/news/articles/2025-12-23/T7HRZOKK3NYU00">ユニクロの東京旗艦店を柳井氏と歩く「買う立場で考える、全部」&minus;世界26市場を支える経営哲学</a>
制作・ホスト： 野上英文、 取材：リード・スティーブンソン 、編集：岩井春翔 、ファクトチェック：香月夏子 、サウンドデザイン・エンジニア： 安澤隆比古 、シニアプロデューサー： Naomi Shavin、デピュティ・エグゼクティブプロデューサー： Julia Weaver、エグゼクティブプロデューサー： Nicole Beemsterboer

BONUS: ユニクロ・柳井正氏を直撃、アメリカ内陸部への執念と後継者

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ca005805-e637-4310-b236-b426015f6dad/transcript

Japan’s richest man — Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai — has struggled to win over the US, despite owning the world's third-largest clothing retailer by sales.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, Yanai takes Bloomberg’s Reed Stevenson to a store in Tokyo and explains why he’s betting big on America one more time.

Read more: Uniqlo's Billionaire Founder Wants Tenfold US Growth. Early Signs Are Good
Uniqlo Founder and Japan’s Richest Man Loves a $32 Pair of Slacks

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang, Naomi Ng; Reported by Reed Stevenson; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Japan&rsquo;s richest man &mdash; Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai &mdash; has struggled to win over the US, despite owning the world's third-largest clothing retailer by sales.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take Asia podcast, Yanai takes Bloomberg&rsquo;s Reed Stevenson to a store in Tokyo and explains why he&rsquo;s betting big on America one more time.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-01-29/uniqlo-s-billionaire-founder-yanai-aims-to-conquer-us-market">Uniqlo's Billionaire Founder Wants Tenfold US Growth. Early Signs Are Good </a><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-12-18/uniqlo-founder-and-japan-s-richest-man-tadashi-yanai-plans-to-triple-sales">Uniqlo Founder and Japan&rsquo;s Richest Man Loves a $32 Pair of Slacks</a>
Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang, Naomi Ng;&nbsp;Reported by Reed Stevenson; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.
Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Uniqlo Is Coming for Middle America

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/52a09bbc-1532-4dc8-b772-b4250117a990/transcript

Inside Southeast Asia’s Most Notorious Crime Hub

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