One Sunday, we explored the streets and ventured into various shops. For anyone traveling abroad, the joy of perusing stores and selecting gifts is an enjoyable part of the experience. Foreign visitors to Vietnam are no exception; they too dedicate time to "sop pinh," as we call it here. When I had the opportunity to attend a conference in the Philippines, I observed delegates from economically developed countries like Singapore and Brunei frequently extending invitations to each other to "pop pinh." However, most of them ended up not making any purchases. It seems that shopping in foreign countries has evolved beyond its economic connotations; it now carries cultural significance. People visit stores not just to shop but also to explore, akin to visiting an exhibition on the local economy. We take pride in the innovations and progress in our country, which is reflected in the behavior of Vietnamese travelers overseas.

During the era of subsidies, whenever we traveled to another country, we were preoccupied with acquiring consumer goods, hauling them around, but nowadays, we simply stroll around with our hands in our pockets, shopping has become more about leisurely exploration than necessity. We might pick up some souvenirs or high-end items, but the primary motivation is the experience. Interestingly, the United States also imports a considerable amount of goods, primarily from China, Korea, and Japan. These imports span a wide range, from electronics and optics to garments. Chinese products tend to be priced much lower than their American counterparts, often with superior quality compared to goods available in Vietnam. China seems to dominate the import market in the U.S., evident in the prevalence of Chinese products across stores, offering everything from clothing, shoes, bags, watches, to kitchenware like pots, pans, knives, and cutting boards. In places like New York, there's even a Chinatown, where most shops and products are of Chinese origin and managed by Chinese proprietors.

Annually, the U.S. imports approximately 1.5 billion pairs of shoes, with Chinese products accounting for 60 to 70% of this market. In the case of garments, the U.S. imports about half of its domestic needs, with China responsible for 80% of these imports. Mr. Vinh's father, an overseas Vietnamese who arrived in 1983 and whose home we visited, pointed out that Chinese goods have significantly lowered prices for goods in the U.S., benefiting consumers. Many American manufacturers, such as RCA and APEX (electronics manufacturers), invest in producing goods in China due to lower production costs, then import these products to the domestic market, offering competitive prices. Americans, however, are meticulous about product labeling and do not engage in misleading practices, unlike some businesses in our country.

Regarding Vietnamese products, we didn't come across much during our visit, aside from hearing about pangasius and sour shrimp. Importing goods into the United States is not a straightforward process. If a product possesses substantial competitiveness and could pose difficulties for American businesses, it is promptly scrutinized and potentially blocked by U.S. authorities. A pertinent example is Vietnamese catfish and basa fish, which faced hurdles due to their competitiveness with American catfish. During a meal featuring pangasius, Vinh mentioned that the recent U.S.-Vietnam Trade Agreement faced delays, primarily because of debates in the U.S. Congress regarding the importation of Vietnamese fish. Vietnamese pangasius and basa fish, known for their quality and affordability, were formidable competitors to American-raised catfish. Eventually, the U.S. approved the trade agreement with Vietnam. However, on October 4, 2001, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bill HR 2964, which prevented any fish species outside the American catfish family Ictaluridae from being commercially marketed as "catfish." Subsequently, on October 25, 2001, the U.S. Senate approved bill HR 2330 on budget allocation for the agricultural sector in 2002, containing an amendment to SA 2,000, explicitly prohibiting the Food and Drug Administration from permitting the importation of fish or fish products labeled as "catfish" except those of the Ictaluridae family.

These actions were seen as a move to establish a monopoly for the U.S. catfish production industry and contradicted the spirit of the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Agreement. In essence, the U.S. outlawed Vietnamese basa and pangasius fish. Furthermore, American fish farm owners invested substantial resources in collaborating with the media to launch attacks against Vietnamese basa and pangasius fish. They even made a dangerous claim that these fish originated from environments contaminated with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. In reality, Vietnamese fish are raised in entirely clean environments, as certified by international food hygiene organizations. (It's worth noting that American propaganda often carries strong pragmatic and political undertones. Their portrayal of the Vietnamese environment is a case in point: when they needed to deny the use of toxic chemicals like Agent Orange in Vietnam, they did so, but when they sought to restrict Vietnamese agricultural and fishery products, they claimed they were produced in Agent Orange-contaminated land.) In addition to these contentious issues, there were other reasons...

o economics, the exclusion of Vietnamese catfish still carries discriminatory nuances. It is known that every year the US market imports about 20 billion USD of seafood, accounting for 60 to 70% of the domestic market share, while the amount of Vietnamese catfish imported into the US accounts for only 2% of catfish production. consumed in the US, it is just a scale on a big fish, incapable of defeating the US fish farming industry. So the reason of economic competition alone is not decisive in eliminating Vietnamese fish.

A strong impression on me is the forms of advertising in New York. Various types of electronic screens and panels made of light and beautiful materials are mounted everywhere, the most popular type being large liquid crystal screens that project moving images. In the center of Manhattan, I have seen long streets almost completely covered with all kinds of advertisements, some are electronic advertisements with large screens, sometimes occupying the entire surface of the street. An entire high-rise building, with walls opened up to reveal a small room with tables, chairs, cabinets... is also a very impressive way of visually advertising with real products.

If anyone thinks that Americans advertise indiscriminately and ridiculously, that person is sorely mistaken. In fact, Americans advertise very culturally, focusing on introducing products and not exposing ridiculous images like some of our advertisers do. After the September 11 disaster, American advertisers showed their political awareness when changing advertising content. They focus on advertising images that do not recall painful memories of the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC), express the patriotic spirit, but make a strong impression and stimulate consumers. . Advertisers withdrew the WTC symbol from products and changed advertising tactics to suit the new situation. Geneva Motors (GM) has recalled an advertising image showing a Cadillac car dodging missile attacks. FORD canceled advertising photos of the Linhcoln car brand running on the streets of New York and the WTC twin towers remained intact. Soap company Leve Farberg removed an advertisement for its new soap product Persil that featured a picture of a child who wanted to become a pilot. Instead, companies launched advertising campaigns promoting patriotism and looking to the future. The trend of choosing advertising forms that reflect the current war, such as the destruction of Bin Laden, or the image of American soldiers in World War II sitting on a jeep, is also followed by many people. American advertisers have also considered escapist advertising forms that are not related to war or terrorism but evoke pride in America and American goods. When I turn on the TV during commercials, I often see the sentence "I am an American" with images vividly describing the products they want to advertise. I really liked the American vacuum cleaner because on television commercials, people introduced it in a wonderful way: Although compact, it sucks up an entire batch of huge iron screws. Once again I clearly see the importance of purpose and reality of Americans, they advertise to introduce products, to sell, not to show off. Also on television, I have never come across any uncultural and lacking in national pride advertising like painting on a group of children's butts or endlessly shouting "Drink beer Australian style! Australian style!" like our television does. Even in advertising, Americans also follow certain principles, including the principle of focusing information on the item being advertised. In a presentation on information strategy to us, professor Martin Suleman strongly criticized the advertising style that always shows the faces of the directors, taking up the majority of the advertising page. The professor sarcastically said: "People need to see the products they buy, not the director's face, or does the director want to sell his face?". I wonder if that American professor knows that advertising in Vietnam has the same situation as the professor said, or is this just an expression based on general reality? Anyway, we also feel a bit embarrassed when we see that the professor's sarcasm is so suitable for our country's advertising situation, including the situation where the faces of directors are often displayed in the most important positions. of advertising page!

Through observing and interacting with stores and sellers, I see that Americans have a very skillful way of pickpocketing customers. People always stock up on goods in the glass cabinets facing the street. For outdated products, they list very cheap prices but do not list the features or effects. With new products, they write down the features and effects without recording the price (for example, recording the price of a Sony laptop worth 700 USD but not recording the configuration, next to it is another Sony laptop. listed high configuration without price listed). That's a way to attract buyers into the store and then offer convincing enticement to customers. Salespeople proactively bring out goods, guide, introduce, and transport Test drive and invite to buy. Be careful, because even if the store has a price listed, they still say it's up to the sky. Often the price they sell is double, triple, or even four times higher than the price they sell. It's the same in any store. When you look at the goods and then turn away, the salesperson immediately pulls you back and lowers the price by at least a third, making you feel like the price is surprisingly cheap. An 8mm cassette-sized Sony video camera was listed for $890, but was marked down to $400 and sold for $280! I also see in America a type of sales that is not found anywhere else in the world. That's the type of fake selling this product to sell that product. One person in my group asked to buy a Japanese video camera and was agreed to sell it for 350 USD. The seller asked him to pay. After that, the seller told me to wait until he called and told me to bring the phone. But then no one brought the camera, and the device I wanted to buy was just a sample, old, with scratches on the lens. So the money is stuck in the store's safe! Meanwhile, the seller brought out another machine, tested it and introduced all its superior features compared to the other machine, asking for an additional 200 USD. I kept looking for money, but to no avail, I had to go out of pocket and pay another 150 USD. Later I found out that it was priced 150 USD higher than the normal price. However, American customer service is very thoughtful. A friend of mine bought a DVD player, went back to the hotel to try it and it didn't work, and the next day he took it to the supermarket to complain. When we were about to leave, everyone discussed that we should just leave, the store would probably exchange it for us, but we would just go to some warranty place like ours. But we were wrong. After listening to our explanation, the salesman easily uttered two words "Then change" and told us to open the box. He took a look, then picked up the entire box and threw it on the ground, startling us, and told us to choose another device. I understand that Americans are willing to give you something they do not lose, which is a service attitude, so that you can buy the most of their products, at the highest price. Americans are also very ingenious when it comes to turning things into goods. Right in front of the White House, I saw realistic pictures of former President Bin Clinton and President Bush displayed on the street, next to the words: "Taking a photo with the President, your device: 4 USD, our machine: 6 USD". Don't think you can be clever enough to stand from outside and take pictures, because the Americans have already calculated everything. They wear two small signs on the heads of their two "presidents", partially obscuring their faces, making it impossible for you to see them. Can't take a photo to "remove" it.

Americans also know how to take advantage of people's desire for light entertainment to create games that lose money. Video game machines are located everywhere. But there is a unique type of game that I have not seen anywhere else in the world, which is the game of pressing coins into badges. The equipment of this game is quite simple, just a press with three money slots. You must drop 2 20 cent coins and 1 5 cent coin into it. You can choose 3 types of badges that you like, of which the most popular is the Statue of Liberty badge. After dropping the coin and selecting the image, you just need to turn the joystick slightly, the 5 cent coin will be pressed into the shape of an oval badge with an embossed bust of the Statue of Liberty! A public way to break money, bring big profits (players earn 40 cents per game) and have great appeal. Perhaps it's just a small game, but it's distinctly "American" - in other countries, it's unlikely anyone would be allowed to do this kind of money-making game. One thing worth noting when buying goods in the US as well as in developed countries, is that buyers always remember that the agreed selling price is not equal to the price you pay, because taxes must always be added. Some items are 4%, some items are 8%, even over 10% depending on the Government's regulations. Americans are very serious about paying taxes. They never accept selling goods without invoices to avoid taxes. They explained: "This is a tax paid to the Government, to Mr. Bush, not to us. Please help pay it!".

Besides the wealthy businessmen with decent shops like I just mentioned, in America there are many poor people who do not have shops and have to sell their goods on the street. If it's good, they have strollers. Being so poor, they only have shopping bags and sacks. Most of them are people of color. One evening, on the streets of New York, we met a group of street vendors selling bags and hats. We were joking: "It turns out there is no Decree 36 in America" when we heard police sirens. Looking around, I saw a group of street vendors running around. A bony young black man pulled a huge bundle of clothes and bags and ran breathlessly into an alley, was blocked, ran back out, dropped several bags on the ground, and circled around for a while. then fell down onto the sidewalk. Immediately, a police officer wearing a black uniform, tall and tall like a guardian, rushed in, lifted him up, twisted his arms and elbows, handcuffed him and pushed him to the wall. The policeman pulled out his walkie-talkie and called something, while the black man lay hunched over on the sidewalk, his face wrinkled.

Like a dried Chinese apple, it looks miserable. I suddenly whispered in my heart: "Vietnamese street vendors, if you are stopped from selling your goods, don't blame the police, they are very gentle, they only temporarily collect goods, but never handcuff them. You ladies are not like Americans!". Regarding this incident, I suddenly remembered that the American government always promotes freedom, democracy, and human rights, but in reality, they only impose unprincipled freedom, democracy, and human rights on other peoples. , but in their country, they don't keep discipline, if you mess up you'll be handcuffed. They only allow freedom, democracy, and human rights when it does not affect national interests, but when there are signs of lack of security, they are ready to "soup" everything - otherwise in the name of fighting terrorism, They have allowed security agencies to eavesdrop on phones, control emails, and even arrest foreigners within 7 days without evidence of crime... is that it? In fact, the Bush administration ordered the arrest of hundreds of people over a long period of time without revealing who their arrestors were, why they were arrested, where they were, and what they were charged with. When Ms. Kate Martin, a lawyer in charge of civil rights issues, asked about the arrest warrant for these people, the US Department of Justice replied that the arrest warrant contained the names of a number of foreigners who needed to be kept secret, so it was not allowed. Can you provide me with a copy?

Returning to the story of making money for Americans, I commented that they have a special talent in taking advantage of opportunities to create profits. Even the most terrible event for America, the September 11 disaster, became an opportunity to make money for the entire American social system.

Coming to New York, with deep sympathy, we wanted to get very close to the ruined area of the two Trade Center towers to show our condolences to the deceased. But we couldn't reach that area. The army and police used iron fences, even concrete pipes, to block the road. People could only stand and cling to those temporary fences to look at the World Trade Center.

I witnessed many people of many nationalities standing along the streets surrounding the World Trade Center, some filming, some taking photos, and many just looking. Smoke is still rising in this area. We saw a collapsed building with black, twisted steel bars exposed.

But, in this area, there are not only people who come to commemorate and observe, but also many people who come to "do business".

On 14th Street, the closest street to where the responsible people are busy cleaning up, are people selling postcards of the two collapsed towers. The postcards are divided into two types: Before, are the photos when the two buildings were still there. And then there are pictures showing planes crashing into two towers. Previously, with only 1 USD, people could buy 10 photos of the two towers. Now you have to buy 1 USD per picture. Prices for pictures "after" the disaster are much more expensive. For example, a photo showing the United Airlines Boeing crashing into the second tower was sold for $3 and still had many buyers. Around this area as well as in many other street stalls or stores, there are T-shirts printed with images related to the September 11 disaster, most notably the two towers wrapped in flags, then the guns. Signs such as "Let's unite", "We are proud to be Americans", "I have lived horrifying moments", "Retaliate appropriately", even printed with a picture of Bin Laden. An American flag without a handle normally sells for $2, but in areas of Manhattan it increases to $7.

I stopped to talk American flags for a bit. When I first came to New York, I commented that Americans really like flying flags. They hang flags on flagpoles at offices, on rooftops, on cars, street vendors, even on trash cans, and show flags on advertising screens. After researching carefully, I learned that the desire to fly the flag only broke out after September 11. It seems that after the disaster, the sense of the Fatherland suddenly rose strongly in the hearts of Americans and they expressed their ideas. That way is by hanging lots of American flags. Wal Mart supermarket alone on September 11 sold 116,000 American flags to people to commemorate the victims of 9/11. And so the chess traders "got into the trick". The number of flags sold skyrocketed and the price of flags also increased - up to 3 or 4 times normal. There was not enough flag sewing in the country, so there was no time, so Americans went all the way to China to have it sewn for processing. So companies specializing in making flags in China "hit a big prize" when they received a series of huge orders from the US. A few days after the September 11 disaster, workers of major flag sewing companies in China such as Mei-Hi-Hua (Shanghai), Jin-Teng (Zhejiang) worked hard around the clock to make timely deliveries. . Mr. U Guo-min said that within a week of the disaster in New York and Washington D.C, his company received orders from customers to sew more than 500,000 flags. America. Likewise, Jin-Teng company received an order to sew 600,000 American flags. These companies sell medium-sized American flags to American distributors for $1 each. Upon returning to the United States, these flags are sold for three, four, or even six to seven dollars each. Plastic pine trees wrapped around ribbons with the single word "Proud" also sell well at $2 each. Stores selling anti-gas masks are always running out of stock. Street vendors boast, "Even though we were tired, we made a good profit."

In this challenging city, we also hear about unscrupulous acts of profiteering. Some individuals engage in dishonest practices. Just about an hour after the second World Trade Center building collapsed, looters flooded into the damaged area, breaking through police barriers for various reasons. One person pretended to be in extreme pain and ran to find their relatives. Another waved a video camera, demanding to report for television. Someone claimed they wanted to find documents for the local newspaper but was in such a hurry that they forgot their press card in the car. One looter said they found a diamond ring, four pairs of shoes, and a bunch of documents in a tattered leather briefcase. For a straight week, the police were unaware of the looting situation. When the press reported that there was a treasure trove of gold and silver worth over $231 million under the rubble, the number of looters increased dramatically, seriously hindering rescue efforts. At that time, the mayor of New York was alarmed and hastily warned that these illegal traders could be arrested and brought to trial. Since then, the number of looters has decreased, but there are still greedy and heartless individuals who continue to loot. A 48-year-old woman was arrested while running towards the rescue team, crying bitterly, claiming that her husband had just called her on his cell phone, saying he was trapped under a pile of rubble. When the rescue team gathered at the location she pointed to, she immediately turned to search for the victims' belongings.

A few days after the September 11th disaster in New York, a series of "missing person search companies" appeared, ready to trace the whereabouts of victims for their relatives. Many people, either out of gullibility or due to overwhelming grief, gave money to these "ghost" companies and never saw them again. Subsequently, "charity organizations" sprung up across the country to raise funds for supporting the victims, with hundreds of charity websites emerging. Many people unknowingly poured their money into the seemingly bottomless pit of scammers.

However, these are just small-scale opportunists. The biggest beneficiaries of the September 11th disaster were America's own large manufacturing complexes, particularly those involved in weapons production. This is evident from the significant increase in sales and stock prices of US weapons manufacturing companies after the September 11th disaster. For instance, Raytheon Systems Company, a major supplier of high-tech weapons and equipment to the US military, including the famous Tomahawk and Stinger missiles, saw a turnaround. Before the September 11th disaster, sales had been continuously declining, but in the third quarter of 2001 (prior to 9/11), sales reached $4 billion, an increase of $200 million compared to the same period the previous year. Stock prices soared, and profits were expected to exceed $1 billion in the upcoming fiscal year. Shares of corporations producing traditional weapons such as jet fighters and warships, electronic weapons, and information security industries all saw rapid increases. Shares of L-3, which provides communication protection networks and specialized products for the military and aerospace industries, rose by 38%. Technical Support Systems saw a 34% increase in shares, while computer consulting group CACI Inc increased by over 20%. Raytheon, known for manufacturing combat systems and Patriot missiles, experienced a 25% rise in its share price. Production of B-2 bombs increased by 12% in two giant US defense industries, Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman Corporation. Currently, the stock price of Northrop Grumman, the producer of the B-2 stealth strategic bomber, has reached its highest level in the past three years, reaching $107.60, an increase of 10 cents. The share price of General Dynamics, a company supplying the US military with a wide range of equipment from submachine gun bullets to "smart" bombs and naval aircraft carriers, reached a record level of $94.99, an increase of $2.39. Raytheon's stock price, the manufacturer of Tomahawk missiles, reached $36.30, an increase of $1.33. Mr. Jem Saotholan, an expert in defense contracts, noted that the military expenditures for this operation were similar to those during former President Reagan's tenure in the 1980s. According to Mr. Paul H. Ni-butter, an analyst at JSA Research specializing in research for US investment firms, defense spending in fiscal year 2001 was expected to increase from $50 to $350 billion and could reach $400 billion in 2002. Each Tomahawk missile costs between $600,000 and $2.2 million, and each missile fired at Afghanistan costs an average of $1.2 million. From the time America attacked Afghanistan until the 7th In October, nearly 100 Tomahawk missiles were launched from warships. It is estimated that the U.S. spends approximately $1.2 billion per month on the military campaign in Afghanistan, and it is predicted that with such intensity, the entire campaign could reach a total cost of $15 to $20 billion USD, with 70% of these costs going into the accounts of weapons manufacturers. Military industry companies have secured a series of lucrative contracts to supply weapons and military equipment to the U.S. military. The highlight is the $200 billion contract that the Pentagon signed with the Lockheed Martin aviation complex to build the new generation supersonic stealth aircraft X25. By the end of October, a batch of heat-seeking camera equipment worth nearly $100 million was handed over to the U.S. military to attach to spy planes, aiding in the detection of Taliban troops in the cold winter terrain. The U.S. military is also using many precision-guided bombs and penetrating bombs, with costs ranging from $200,000 to $1 million each. This means that these world-class arms manufacturers are reaping enormous profits from this human tragedy.

People often say that happiness in life is like a narrow blanket—when you cover your head, your legs are exposed, and vice versa. This analogy holds true for the current world economy as well. When one entity profits significantly, others may suffer. After the September 11th disaster, while the business world, particularly the arms industry, reaped immense profits, the disaster dealt a heavy blow to various companies and countless workers in the United States.

Following the September 11th disaster, by the end of October, U.S. airlines had lost approximately $650 billion in revenue. Attempts to resume operations only reached half of their usual capacity, and widespread panic led to a 70% decrease in the number of air passengers in the United States. Airlines like American Airlines, Continental, and Delta reduced the number of flights by 20%. Financial companies, particularly insurers, faced the risk of insolvency as they had to cover the costs of rebuilding the World Trade Center. Material damages and compensation payments by insurance and reinsurance companies after the September 11th events could reach up to $22 billion USD. Shares in the airline and tourism sectors experienced significant declines, ranging from 40% to 50%. Shares of the entertainment film company Oakland, which owns ABC news, also plummeted, with each share falling from $4.33 USD to $19.5 USD.

After September 11th, U.S. airlines, including U.A, AA, and B.A, reduced their workforce by 20,000 employees, while U. Atlantic reduced its workforce by 12,000 employees. The giant aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced its intention to cut nearly 30,000 jobs within the next 12 months. By the end of September, U.S. airline owners confirmed that 100,000 aviation industry employees in the country would be laid off due to the impact of the September 11th terrorist attacks. According to public analysts in the American industry, at least six other industries related to aviation were affected by the terrorist attacks and initiated mass layoff campaigns, disregarding workers' rights. Approximately 600,000 employees are at risk of mass layoffs in the coming months. Unlike previous situations, this time the "campaigns" to lay off large numbers of employees by American industry owners encountered no obstacles because they had a "legitimate" reason—the impact of the September 11th disaster. Even pilots and flight attendants have no right to sue if airlines can prove that the September 11th attacks were an act of war. This lack of worker protection means that all the disadvantages ultimately fall upon the shoulders of the poor workers in a rich and powerful country, America.