Loan and her mother, Nguyen Ngoc, have turned a once‑empty backyard in Northern California into a thriving Mekong Delta‑style garden. The project shows how a family can preserve Vietnamese traditions while adapting to life in the United States.

Loan, who came from Vinh Long in 2013, brought Nguyen Ngoc to the U.S. in 2019. Together they renovated the vacant plot so Ngoc could cook and their U.S.-born children could experience their rural heritage.

The gardening work started in 2020. After professionals cleared the weeds, Loan and her husband tilled the soil, built raised beds, fertilized the earth and planted a variety of trees. Because many herbs were unavailable locally, Loan drove three hours to a Vietnamese market to buy fresh culantro, cilantro and Thai basil, soaked the cuttings, and replanted them.

Six years later the garden hosts dozens of fruit trees—including coconut, peach, lemon, plum, jujube and banana—plus seasonal fruits and vegetables such as water spinach, tomatoes, okra and bitter melon. In early 2025 the couple added an outdoor kitchen with an iron frame, tin roof and concrete floor; they installed the wiring, wooden shelves, sink unit and tiles themselves.

Ngoc now spends most of her day tending the trees, preparing banh xeo and other Mekong Delta dishes for her grandchildren, while the children learn to cook traditional meals. Neighbours often join the weekend gatherings, and videos of the family’s garden life have attracted 2.9 million views on social media.

"Sitting in the kitchen, listening to the sound of cicadas and birds singing in the garden, I feel like I'm right back in my hometown," Ngoc says, adding that after a stressful workday she finds peace by lying on the hammock and looking over the vegetables. The garden therefore anchors the family to their cultural roots while offering personal calm.