Nguyen Van Troi Bridge — originally named Nguyen Hoang Bridge before 1975 — was built in 1965 by the American contractor RMK. Spanning 513.8 meters across the Han River with 14 steel pony truss spans, the bridge measures 10.5 meters wide, including an 8.5-meter roadbed. This was the first road bridge across the Han River, constructed by the U.S. to …

 QUESTION  Dear Mr. Old Man, We presented documents under an LC that were in full compliance, but the issuing bank still raised one or two discrepancies and deducted a discrepancy fee from the proceeds. We dispute the discrepancies and have asked the issuing bank to refund the fee that was wrongly deducted. However, the bank either insists the discrepancies are …

At 2:47 in the morning (when only owls, over-caffeinated bankers, and insomniac old men are awake), I received this beautiful email from a young reader who just passed the CDCS exam—with an impressive score of 90 out of 100. She wasn’t my student in the traditional sense, but in her words, she still considers me her teacher. That alone feels …

Sáng nay đạp xe ra phố, ghé quán cà phê quen thuộc gọi một ly đen đá không đường thiệt bự. Ngồi một mình, vừa nhậm nhi cà phê vừa lướt facebook, chợt bắt gặp tấm ảnh cũ hồi còn rong ruỗi khám phá những cung đường núi khó nhằn. Nhìn lại tấm ảnh đạp xe trên đồi chè Đông …

Two nights ago, just before midnight, a friend of mine—an in-house lawyer at a Korean bank (let’s call it Bank K)—sent me an email asking if I could recommend a Vietnamese lawyer to assist one of his clients. The client had fallen victim to a scam involving a fund transfer to a beneficiary account at a Vietnamese bank (let’s call …

 QUESTION Dear Sir, Greetings from Himalayan Bank!!! I am here to ask for your valuable suggestion on below. Bill of Lading mentions Shipper as Third party acting on behalf of the Beneficiary but there is no provision for third party in the credit. Does this mean the third party is an authorized agent acting for the beneficiary? Can this be …

QUESTION Hi Sir, Request your opinion on the below. LC F 44B: BANGKOK THAILAND PAT BL place of Delivery: Bangkok Thailand. We have received a refusal from the issuing bank stating Place of Delivery in BL not as per LC. Please advise if this is a valid refusal and whether this can be refuted. Regards, PSP ___ ANSWER Hi, Field …

Mr. Old Man’s Note: For exporters using Letters of Credit (L/Cs), document checking fees are a recurring cost—and often a point of frustration. What happens when your own bank says your documents are complying, but the issuing bank still finds discrepancies? In this piece, I share a real question from an exporter and a practical response from yours truly. Sometimes …

 QUESTION Dear Sir, Good day and hope you’re doing well! Today marks a rather special occasion as our country prepares to enter a new phase with significant changes ahead. On this occasion, I have an interesting question that I hope you could kindly take some time to help clarify. According to Resolution No. 1682/NQ-UBTVQH15 regarding the reorganization of administrative units, …

 QUESTION  Dear Mr. Old Man, Thank you so much for your swift response — your explanation has clarified the previous issue for us. We are now facing another matter and would greatly appreciate your guidance: As the Confirming Bank, we received a set of documents that appear to be compliant, including a CMR document printed on white paper with an …