VietLead is a grassroots community organization rooted in Philadelphia, PA, dedicated to advancing self-determination, social justice, and cultural resilience within Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities. Founded in September 2015, VietLead operates from a foundation of solidarity and love, recognizing that as descendants of communities impacted by war and trauma, their work must honor the complexity and diversity of community members' experiences. The organization is distinctive in being staffed and led entirely by community members who bring over 25 years of collective experience and deep relationships within the Philadelphia and South Jersey regions. What sets VietLead apart is its commitment to meeting people where they are—acknowledging that community members exist at different places ideologically, emotionally, and materially—and responding with culturally grounded direct services, education, advocacy, and organizing. Through intergenerational farming, youth leadership development, health navigation, civic participation, and community defense initiatives, VietLead builds pathways toward healing, power, and growth. The organization's Heal. Resist. Grow. framework reflects a commitment to addressing historical and ongoing trauma, contesting systemic inequities through campaigns and policy work, and cultivating community-based solutions that emerge from lived experience. VietLead represents a powerful force for Southeast Asian leadership and base-building in the Philadelphia area, grounded in principles of mutual aid, accountability, and the belief that genuine social change emerges from communities most impacted by injustice.
Philadelphia, PA