Tony Nguyen

Tony grew up very poor in South Vietnam. The family didn’t have electricity or running water, but they had a jungle as their backyard. Every once in a while somebody would visit with a TV on wheels, and they would get to watch Bruce Lee movies, and from there they played and they would practiced who was teacher or student for the day and that is where his love began. As a child Tony was never professionally trained, that wasn’t an option. There were no dojo’s or money, but once he moved to America, his love for martial arts continued. As a teenager fresh in America, he felt comfortable in a dojo, unfortunately with no money, he didn’t get consistent opportunities to train. But he remembers watching through the windows. Another unfortunate thing is being new to America as a teenager, him and his brothers feel into the street life where he really got a taste of fighting. Great things came his way, he grew up, moved to Idaho for work in 1998, met his wife Annie and started making adult money. He was finally able to make a break from Southern California and start training, since that day, he has never stopped and never looked back. He understands the streets and the risks, he incorporates his past with teaching real life skills and a toughness mentality, along with the gift of patience and compassion he has a mix to help everyone in their personal growth. With the support of his wife, he was able to build Red Dragon Kajukenbo back in 2011. The first building was in the back of a used baby clothes store. The owner of that business, Jessica opened that door for Tony and saw something special, without her, none of this would have been possible. A few years later the dojo relocated down the street to Sundance Road where they stayed for 12 years until the most recent moved in Dec of 2024. Tony was blessed to be able to raise all 4 of his boys up in the dojo and all 4 have now earned their black belts and beyond.