to get around in a strange city. VietLead helps people connect with each other and strengthen their community. If “you are a Vietnamese person growing up in Philly, it’s good to have an organization that understands your issues, speaks your language,” she says. She says young people can learn from the elders in the community. Some of the ways VietLead assists people are helping them find doctors or nurses, teaching English to adults and children, and getting people on the path toward citizenship. Ms. Nguyen says that growing food is an important part of the Vietnamese culture. Her group encour- ages people to do the same in this country. VietLead operates a garden called Resilient Roots in Camden, N.J. Some popular Vietnamese fruits and vegetables are grown, such as bitter melon, mint, and Thai basil. “When people move from one country to another, their diet changes a lot,” which can lead to poor nutrition and health issues, Ms. Nguyen says. Growing food is cheaper than going to a store and it provides plenty of good nutrition, Ms. Nguyen says. Food can be grown in a bucket or in a community garden. It’s also good for the environment, since the food doesn’t need to be carried long distances by trucks that use fuel and may contribute to air pollution. Nancy Dung Nguyen Cultivating a community When Nancy Dung Nguyen was young she thought she would be a marine biologist. The job sounded good to her because she wouldn’t have to do the same thing every day. She didn’t want boring work. Ms. Nguyen wound up in a job that is never dull, but it has nothing to do with the sea. She and four friends started an organization called VietLead to help the Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Her group, which started with not much more than a few markers and pens, has grown to help thousands of Vietnamese immigrants, their children, and their grandchildren make a better life for themselves and each other. Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia, more than 8,000 miles from Philadelphia. Life there is different in many ways, from the food people eat to the language they speak. Being an immigrant can be scary and lonely, Ms. Nguyen says, because a person might not know English or how to take public transportation 20