About Us

They consider themselves the space in between “Asian Americans.” In the middle of two worlds and two cultures — the former their birthplace and the latter the land that has adopted them so sincerely.

However, that balance heavily teeters toward the American side as first generations become second and third generations. Their love and devotion for the United States and Henrico County grows as they find success in business and doors of opportunity open for their children.

BachLien Ly, owner of Vietnam Garden Restaurant on West Broad St (used to be at Glenside Drive), was starving. The boat she traveled on from Saigon, Vietnam, had run out of food.

“We weren’t desperate yet,” Ly says of that 1985 voyage. “But we were very hungry.” The boat stopped at a refugee camp in Singapore but was turned away. However, the passengers received much-needed food and water. Eventually, the boat made it to Palau Galang, Indonesia, where Ly spent 10 months learning English at the refugee camp.

She and her brother were sent to Virginia to be sponsored by a Vietnamese family living in Richmond.  After graduated in 1989, Ly trained in the kitchen of Vietnamese restaurants and became an accomplished cook.  In 1992, with the helps from family and friends and their own savings, BachLien and her mother opened Vietnam Garden Restaurant.

Today the restaurant employs ten and does sales in hundreds of thousands of dollars.  With her experience and confident, "I know what to do now," Ly says.  "I tries to help others who come over learning English or running a business.

BachLien married to Minh Ly and have three daughters of their own.  The Ly family has truly lived the American dream.