The DJ Origin
At 17 in San Diego, DJing became my first real passion. I ditched a lot of school for it. It taught me community-building early: I shared knowledge openly at a time when DJ culture hoarded it.
About
Operator first.
Experimenter second.
Discipline plus learning as an integrated philosophy. Care. Discipline. Grit.
Care · Discipline · Grit
The Bio
Operator first. Experimenter second.
I'm Dru Nguyen, an operator based in Ho Chi Minh City. I co-founded Xood, an AI workflow marketplace for Vietnam, and founded Skylight Nha Trang, a rooftop flagship I've run for over a decade. I invest in and advise companies I believe in: Tictag (Singapore), East West Brewing, Nuen Motor, and GAM Esports. I'm also a member of EO Vietnam.
I didn't start with a plan. My first passion was music: I started DJing in San Diego at 17. Years later, at 27, I left California for Nha Trang with no Vietnamese and no network, and built Skylight from zero. Ten years of running real businesses taught me the lesson under everything I do: structure is freedom.That's when EOS clicked, and it's how I run my companies today.
These days I'm an operator learning to use AI in the open. I run three companies and sit on two boards with AI LLMs and other tools in the loop, and I share what actually works, not theory, not hype.
The way I try to live has a name, the Scholarly Warrior: care, discipline, and grit. Knowledge with application is wisdom.I share the operator's journey honestly, so the next person a few steps behind has a clearer path.
Five Stories
The lived material behind the work.
The Factory
Quit the family steel manufacturing business in Hanoi after months of struggling. One of the hardest calls I've ever made. You can't build your future on someone else's blueprint.
The Fight
Signed up for a Muay Thai exhibition fight in Da Nang. Pissed myself backstage from nerves. Won by TKO in round two. Fear doesn't go away. You just stop letting it decide for you.
The EOS Transformation
Ran businesses in chaos for years and blamed the team. Read Rocket Fuel and Traction with my brother TK. Implemented EOS. Nine months before the team fully bought in. Structure is freedom.
The Move to Vietnam
At 27, left SF/LA for Nha Trang with no Vietnamese, no friends outside my brother. Built Skylight from zero. The most uncertain chapters often become the most important ones.