Drinking Coffee the Brazilian Way, Living Coffee the Vietnamese Way A small Sunday reflection on coffee—through a Vietnamese lens. This morning, Mr. Old Man found himself at a familiar café somewhere in Da Nang. Sipping a hot black Americano, he was casually scrolling through LinkedIn when a post from Commonality Trading Club caught his eye. Since it was about coffee, it felt only right to pause and see where Vietnam … Read More
Uống cà phê kiểu Brazil, sống cà phê kiểu Việt Sáng nay, Mr. Old Man ngồi ở quán quen đâu đó ở Đà Nẵng. Nhấm nháp một ly đen nóng pha kiểu Americano, vừa lướt LinkedIn thì bắt gặp một bài viết của Commonality Trading Club nói về cà phê. Thấy cũng hợp cảnh, nên đọc luôn xem thử Việt Nam đứng đâu trên bản đồ cà phê thế giới. … Read More
Có những lúc, im lặng không phải là yếu… mà là khôn. Ngồi cà phê sáng, lướt LinkedIn, Mr. Old Man tình cờ gặp một bài viết nói về những lúc nên im lặng bằng mọi giá. Nghe qua tưởng chuyện ai cũng biết, mà đọc kỹ lại thấy… hơi nhột: Hãy im lặng khi bạn chưa biết hết câu chuyện Hãy im lặng khi cảm xúc đang dâng cao Hãy im … Read More
More of less 5% – A Small Tolerance, A Big Debate? A familiar situation in documentary credits: a few kilograms short, a few dollars less—and suddenly, Article 30(b) becomes the center of discussion. Does tolerance quietly apply, or does the LC still demand strict compliance? QUESTION Dear Mr. Old Man, Hope you are doing well. Request you to clarify below queries: Case Details: 1 LC allows 5/5 tolerance in LC Value. … Read More
When the Collecting Bank Becomes the Drawee: A Quiet but Dangerous Shift in D/A Collections Introduction Most documentary collections behave themselves. Roles are clear, risks are understood, and the collecting bank stays where it belongs—in the middle, passing documents, not carrying obligations. But occasionally, a small detail slips through. A draft is drawn on the wrong party. Nothing looks dramatic, yet the legal position changes completely. And just like that, the collecting bank may find … Read More
Back-to-Back LC: Must Incoterms Be the Same? Intro In back-to-back LC transactions, questions about Incoterms often come not from the rules—but from the bank’s sense of risk. This case is a good example: what is legally allowed, and what is operationally wise, are not always the same thing. Question Hello Sir, We are doing back-to-back LC and our shipment is under charter party. Import is on FOB … Read More
Protected: Afraid your U.S. visa might get rejected??? There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. Read More
Sidewalks — Between “Culture” and “Civility” “This piece was meant to go live yesterday, but Mr. Old Man held it back for a day — just to see whether the sidewalks would look any different today.”———————— A foreign friend living in Da Nang left a rather interesting comment under Mr. Old Man’s earlier post about sidewalks. You can read that post here: https://mroldman.net/ban-mot-chut-ve-chuyen-via-he-o-da-nang/ He said that … Read More
Vỉa hè – giữa “văn hóa” và “văn minh” Một người bạn nước ngoài sống ở Đà Nẵng đã để lại một bình luận rất thú vị dưới bài viết của Mr. Old Man về chuyện vỉa hè. Xem bài viết đó ở đây: Bàn một chút về chuyện vỉa hè ở Đà Nẵng – Mr. Old Man Bạn nói rằng: vỉa hè ở Việt Nam, với hàng quán, … Read More
Article 24 (a)(i) – Signature or Receipt of Goods: One, the Other, or Both? Intro: At first glance, UCP 600 article 24 (a)(i) seems straightforward. Yet the small word “or” often raises a practical question: must a transport document be both signed and indicate receipt of goods—or is one enough? The answer lies in reading the structure carefully, and in understanding how ISBP 821 complements (but does not change) the rule. Question Hi Sir, … Read More