COMMERCIAL

CORRESPONDENCE
Class Topic Class Topic
9 - Revision
1 - Introduction of commercial
correspondence 10 - Midterm Test +
- Types of commercial correspondence: Orders
Letters, faxes, and emails: Layout and
style 11 Orders
2 - Content and style 12 Payment
3 - Enquiries 13 Payment
4 - Replies 14 Complaints and
5 Quotations (Offers) adjustments
6 - Quotations (Offers) 15 Revision and
7 - Negotiations (Counter-offers) consolidation
8 - Negotiations (Counter-offers)
Attendance Working group Mid-term test
(10%) (20%) (20%)

50% Final test

(closed book)
 0 day off 10
Attendance 1 day off 9
(10%) 2 days off 8
3 days off 7
> 4 days off 0
Working group
- Answer the question of each
(20%)
lesson
- Bonus marks
Mid-term test
(20%)
October 4
Essay
Closed book
 References
(1) A. Ashley (2003). Handbook of Commercial
Correspondence. Oxford
(2) Lougheed, Lin, (2003) Business correspondence : a
guide to everyday writing : intermediate . New York : Longman.
https://ds.uef.edu.vn/handle/123456789/24814
(3) Nguyen Trong Dan (2003). The Language of Business
Correspondence in English. NXB. TP. Hồ Chí Minh, 84 tr.
https://ds.uef.edu.vn/123456789/11689
(4) Wilson Kevin, Wauson Jennifer, (2010) AMA handbook of
business writing : the ultimate guide to style, grammar,
punctuation, usage, construction, and formatting, New York :
American Management Association.
 SET UP
GROUP
5 STUDENTS/ GROUP
 THE ROLES OF COMMERCIAL
CORESPONDENCE

1. Who are the key stakeholders in a business?

2. How can a company communicate with
them?
3. What happens when information is confused
or misunderstood?
THE ROLES OF COMMERCIAL
CORESPONDENCE
 THE ROLES OF COMMERCIAL
CORESPONDENCE
➢ An aspect of the world of commerce and
business

➢ Important part of an efficient business

➢ Avoiding misunderstanding, delays

➢ Reflects on the competence the person

who has written
 LETTERS, FAXES, EMAILS
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
STRUCTURE
Sender’s address
Date
Receiver’s (inside) address
Attention line
Salutation
Body of letter
Complimentary close
Signature
Enclosure
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
STRUCTURE Sender’s
address
Sender’s address

Position: in the top right-

hand corner of the page (less
common – left-hand corner)
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD
Vietcombank Tower
5 Công trường Mê Linh
STRUCTURE Ho Chi Minh xxxxxx
VN
Sender’s address

Details (lines):
1) Name of company
2)Name of house or building
3)No. of house/building,
Name of street BLOCKED STYLE
BLOCKED STYLE
4) City, postcode
5) Country
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
STRUCTURE
Sender’s
address
DATE
Date

Position – directly below the

sender’s address, separated
from it by a space

Details – written in letters

21st November/21
November/ November 21
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
Vietcombank Tower
STRUCTURE 5 Công trường Mê Linh
Ho Chi Minh
700900
DATE VN

21 November
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS

Receiver’s address Sender’s

address

Date

Receiver’s
address
Position – below the
sender’s address, on the
left-hand side of the page
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS

IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.

Vietcombank Tower
Công trường Mê Linh
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX

Receiver’s VN
21 November
address
University of Economics and Finance
Dien Bien Phu
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS

ATTENTION LINE Sender’s

address

Position – below the Date

receiver’s address, Receiver’s

address
separated from it by a
Attention line
space
Details:
For the attention of Title
+ Name
(Initials)+Surname (or
Job title)
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
Attention Vietcombank Tower
Công trường Mê Linh
line Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
21 November

University of Economics and Finance

Dien Bien Phu
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
For the attention of the head of Business Administration
Faculty
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
Sender’s
address
SALUTATION Date

Receiver’s
address

Attention line

Salutation
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS

SALUTATION
SALUTATION
Position – below the receiver’s address
(or attention line), separated from it by
a space
Details - Name of recipient

unknown
Dear Sir/Madam known
Dear Sir
Dear Madam Dear +Title+
Surname
Company:
 TITLE Status
Mr Married or umarried male
Mrs married female
Miss Unmarried female
Ms married or unmarried female
Sir/Madam when unsure whether you are addressing male
or female
Sir male - name not known
Madam female -name not knornm
Dr/Professor These titles do not change whether
addressing a male or female
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS

SALUTATION IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.

Vietcombank Tower
Công trường Mê Linh
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
21 November

University of Economics and Finance

Dien Bien Phu
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
For the attention of the head of Business Administration Faculty

Dear Mr. Nguyen Van A

 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
Body of letter Sender’s
address

Details - consists of 3 parts: Date

Receiver’s
address
1) Set the tone of letter
2) Concern the points that Attention line

need to be made Salutation

3) Encourage further
Body of letter
correspondence
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
Complimentary Sender’s
address
close
Date
Receiver’s
address

Attention line

Salutation

Body of letter

Complimentary
close
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
Vietcombank Tower
Công trường Mê Linh
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
21 November
University of Economics and Finance
Dien Bien Phu
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
For the attention of the head of Business Administration Faculty

Dear Mr. Nguyen Van A

Body of letter

Yours sincerely
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS

COMPLIMENTARY
CLOSE
Complimentary Details - depend on the way of
close salutation:
Dear+title+Surname Dear Sir (Madam) Gentlemen
Dear Sirs

Yours sincerely Yours faithfully Yours truly/

Truly yours
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
SIGNATURE
Sender’s
address

Date
Receiver’s
address

Attention line

Salutation

Body of letter

Complimentary
close

Signature
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
SIGNATURE Details – Signature block:
1) Handwritten signature
2) Typed Name
3) Job title

p.p. (per pro) – on behalf of

e.g.
Do Uyen Tam (Mrs.)
Secretary
p.p. Donald Trump
Sales Manager
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
SIGNATURE
IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
Vietcombank Tower
Công trường Mê Linh
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
21 November
University of Economics and Finance
Dien Bien Phu
Ho Chi Minh 7XXXXX
VN
For the attention of the head of Business Administration Faculty
Dear Mr. Nguyen Van A

Body of letter

Yours sincerely
Do Uyen Tam (Mrs.)
Secretary
 1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS
ENCLOSURE
Sender’s
(ENC.) address

Date
– All documents should be
Receiver’s
listed address
e.g. Enc.
Attention line
Bill of lading (3 copies)
Insurance certificate (1 copy) Salutation

c.c. – after listed documents Body of letter

-> c.c. Poole & Jackson Ltd.
-> b.c.c. – on the listed Complimentary
close
documents themselves
Signature

Enc.
1. STYLES OF WRITING LETTERS LETTER
HEAD
2. FAXES

- Useful when speed is important and the recipient

does not have email

- Be sent quickly to many different recipients at the

same time
2. FAXES
2. FAXES
3. STYLES OF WRITING EMAILS
➢ Means of sending messages between
computers
➢ To send and receive email, you need access to
the Internet
➢ Communicate quickly and easily

➢ Useful for short messages and for everyday

correspondence
➢ Unexpected non-delivery of messages, or
attachments arriving in unreadable form
➢ Lack of privacy and security
1. STYLES OF WRITING EMAILS

EMAIL Tamdo@vaa.edu.vn
ADDRESS
Tamdo@st.ueh.edu.vn

The first part of the email address is usually the

surname and initial of the person you are
contacting

The second part appears immediately after the @

1. STYLES OF WRITING EMAILS
LAYOUT
1. STYLES OF WRITING EMAILS

LAYOUT
❖ Do not confuse personal messages
with business messages

❖ Limit yourself to one topic per

message

❖ Keep your email messages short and to

the point
❖ Check your email message for mistakes
before you send it
1. STYLES OF WRITING EMAILS
LAYOUT

Emotions
It is better not to use them
☺ a smile
in business message
 Sad
1. STYLES OF WRITING EMAILS

Asking
for an
estimate
Making
arrangements
for an estimate
 Questions
1. Where and how do you write the date? Give
examples.
2. Where do you write the inside address?
3. When do you write “Dear Sir” in the salutation?
4. How do you address a person in the salutation when
you know his/her name?
5. How do you end a letter which begins with “Dear Sir
or Madam”?
6. How do you end a letter which begins with “Dear
Mrs. Brown”?
7. What does the signer do to let the recipient know
that the signer is male or female?