Mr. Old Man Trade Finance Corner Sometimes, a simple LC clause can lead to surprising confusion. Terms like “within 15 days from issuance of shipping documents” or “invoice showing CIF/CFR breakdown” look harmless—but they often trigger misunderstandings on what counts as shipping documents and how much flexibility an invoice really has.  Below is today’s question from Priya, and my detailed …

Sáng nay đạp xe dạo phố cùng anh bạn, hai đứa tiện đường ghé vào Thành Điện Hải. Dân Đà Nẵng mà còn mơ hồ về di tích gắn liền với những năm tháng đầu chống Pháp thì cũng… hơi thiếu sót, nên Mr. Old Man tranh thủ ghé thăm “củng cố” kiến thức lịch sử … Bước qua cổng …

Mr. Old Man answers a student’s question on transferable L/C practice  Transferable credits often create tricky situations – especially when documents are presented by a second beneficiary under a transferred LC. Recently, a student wrote to Mr. Old Man about a practical scenario involving discrepancies in the  second beneficiary’s presentation  and the role of the transferring bank. Below is the …

Sáng nay lướt Facebook, Mr. Old Man vô tình thấy anh bạn đăng tấm hình leo núi, khám phá một cái lô cốt bằng đá Cao Bằng được cho là do người Pháp xây từ thời  đô hộ Việt Nam. Có chút nghi ngờ  về nguồn gốc của nó bởi lô cốt trong ảnh trông quá dã chiến so với …

Sáng nay đang lướt LinkedIn để… giết thời gian, Mr. Old Man tình cờ thấy một tấm hình cartoon do anh bạn già Sugata Datta chia sẻ. Trên hình ghi câu: “Experience never retires, it simply finds new ways to shine.” Tạm dịch: “Kinh nghiệm không bao giờ nghỉ hưu đâu nha, đơn giản là nó tìm cách khác để …

In practice, many Bills of Lading start out negotiable — issued “to order” — but later become straight when a bank or shipper endorses them to a named consignee. This often raises an important question:  Can the named consignee endorse the bill onward to a new buyer, or must they authorize that new buyer directly?  Let’s look at a real-life …

A practical Q&A with Mr. Old Man Intro In trade finance, insurance documents often come with wording that looks simple but can cause uncertainty at the time of document examination. Priya recently wrote to ask about two common issues: the meaning of an insurance “attaching after” cut-off date, and whether the signer’s capacity must be explicitly identified. Let’s take a …

A Practical Q&A with Mr. Old Man In trade finance, additional charges shown on a bill of lading often cause unnecessary anxiety—especially under CIF/CIP terms where the line between commercial responsibility and LC compliance can get blurry. In today’s question, Julia raises a common concern: does the notation “Destination Haulage Charge Collect” create a discrepancy? Let’s break it down. Question …

INTRO Every now and then, a single word in UCP 600 sparks an entire chain of questions. This time, it’s the word “commencing” in Article 31(b)—a term that often confuses practitioners when multiple bills of lading, pre-carriage, transshipment, and partial shipments are involved. Below is my detailed response to a reader’s excellent set of questions on how Article 31(b) interacts …

Alfred recently raised two excellent questions on port flexibility in LCs and the meaning of multiple on-board dates under ISBP. Here is a quick breakdown for practitioners: “Any port in Vietnam” — one port or multiple? When an LC states “shipment from any port in Vietnam”, the BL must show one specific port of loading (e.g., Hai Phong Port). It …