Sometimes the Best Meetings Are the Ones You Didn't Plan
Updated: 2 days ago
I met Ben Ng through Captain Mohammed, who is based in Dubai.
At the time, I did not know that our paths would eventually cross in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The trip in June 2026 was originally planned for a different purpose.
I was travelling to Ho Chi Minh City for a seller meeting with Alice Stambuli and her group from Malawi. The purpose was to meet the seller in person, discuss the Urea 46N transaction, and explore how we could move the opportunity forward.
But international business does not always go according to plan.
The Malawian group encountered problems with their Vietnamese eVisas and, unfortunately, they were not able to make the trip.
The meetings had already been arranged. The seller was expecting to meet the buyers. We had travelled to Vietnam with a specific purpose.
So I had to think quickly.
I called Ben and asked if he would be willing to fly from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City to meet with the seller and me and discuss the possibility of a ULSD 10ppm diesel transaction.
He agreed.
And just like that, a meeting that was never part of the original plan came together.
From an Unexpected Change to a Business Opportunity
This is one of the things I have learned from working in commodities. Plans can change very quickly.
A buyer may not be able to travel. A transaction may need to be restructured. A shipment may be delayed. New information may change the direction of a deal.
The important thing is how you respond when things do not go according to the original plan.
For me, the trip to Ho Chi Minh City was not only about completing the meeting I had originally planned. It was also about making the best use of the opportunity that was still available. Ben's decision to travel allowed us to sit together, meet the seller and have a direct conversation about another potential transaction.
There is something valuable about meeting people face-to-face.
Emails and messages can move a transaction forward, but sitting around the same table creates a different kind of conversation. You can ask questions immediately. You can understand each other's expectations more clearly. You can discuss challenges openly.
And, perhaps most importantly, you begin to understand the people behind the business.
A Conversation About ULSD 10ppm
The purpose of Ben's meeting with the seller was to explore the possibility of a ULSD 10ppm FOB transaction.
Jimmy was open to explaining how he worked with the supplier as a reseller, including the supplier's background, the different price structures and the transaction procedure.
For me, this was an important part of the meeting.
In commodity trading, finding someone who says they have a product is very different from reaching a genuine supply source. With refined petroleum products, the supply chain can be complex. There can be multiple parties involved between the refinery, supplier, reseller, intermediary and final buyer. Understanding where the product comes from, who controls the allocation, how the seller works with the supplier and how the transaction is structured is therefore extremely important.
We all understand how difficult it can be to reach a genuine supplier or obtain a reliable fuel allocation from a refinery. This is why I believe that a commodity transaction should never be evaluated only by looking at the price. The product, the supply source, the seller, the procedure and the people involved all matter.
A good price can attract attention. But credibility is what keeps a transaction moving.
That was one of the valuable conversations we had in Ho Chi Minh City.
A Warm Welcome in Ho Chi Minh City
I also want to acknowledge the warm hospitality of the seller, Jimmy Cheng.
Jimmy and I picked up Ben from the airport in the morning, and from the moment we met, he made us feel welcome.
Business meetings do not always have to feel formal or transactional.
Sometimes, the most productive conversations happen when people have time to sit together, share a meal, talk about their businesses and understand each other's backgrounds.
Jimmy was generous with his time and openly shared information about how he worked with his supplier and how he approached the transaction. That openness made the meeting much more meaningful.
For me, hospitality is also part of relationship building.
Commodity trading is an international business. People may live in different countries, speak different languages and operate in completely different markets. But when you sit together at the same table, many of those differences become less important.
You are simply having a conversation with another person. And that is often where trust begins.
You Never Know Where the Journey Will Take You
Looking back, my trip to Ho Chi Minh City was supposed to be about one particular Urea 46N transaction.
Instead, circumstances changed, and Ben became part of the story.
We ended up discussing ULSD 10ppm, learning more about the supply structure and exploring a different business opportunity.
But the story did not end there.
While Jimmy and I were waiting for Ben in the airport arrival hall, we also discussed the possibility of building a broader ecosystem around his core business. That conversation opened another door for me, which eventually led to a China Refinery Investment Project that I would later explore together with my Uncle Michael and Hary.
I could not have planned that sequence of events. And perhaps that is one of the things I enjoy most about working in commodities.
There is always a plan. But there is also always the possibility that the plan will change.
A cancelled meeting can lead to another meeting.
A business conversation can lead to another opportunity.
And an unexpected introduction can eventually become part of a much bigger journey.
You can make the plan, but you never know exactly where the journey will take you.
Sometimes, the best meetings are the ones you didn't plan.
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