The world is starting to notice the scent of Vietnam

Perfume. Back in Japan, I kept it quite subtle. But when I'm tired or want to change my mood, a quick spritz. I dab it on the inside of my clothes, close to my skin. As I walk, body heat gently releases the scent, and it drifts softly back up around my neck. Ah, I feel alive, I think. A small reward, just for myself. But in Japan, on packed trains or at Japanese restaurants, If a scent is too strong, people call it "fragrance pollution," so I always used to be conscious of that, being careful not to overdo it. But since I started living in Ho Chi Minh City, my sense of it has completely changed. Above all, it's hot. You end up wearing lighter clothes, and you sweat a lot. Maybe that's why my resistance to wearing perfume has faded away. If anything, when a man passing by on the street has a sweet scent, it somehow makes me happy. In this eternal-summer city, just walking a little makes you break into a sweat. There's humidity too. Motorbike exhaust, street-stall meat, the air before a squall. Ho Chi Minh City smells like the whole city mixed together. Maybe that's exactly why perfume culture feels a little closer to daily life here than it does in Japan. Whether you're a man or a woman, "wearing a faint scent" seems to be one part of looking well put-together. But what matters is that it be "faint." A scent that's overpoweringly strong is a breach of manners here too. The other day, as I passed by a young man standing in line at a banh mi stall, a soft, gentle floral scent drifted over me. Jasmine, maybe. It rode nicely on the lazy midday breeze. The other day, at a spot in Ho Chi Minh City known for its sharp, stylish edge, I came across a fragrance corner featuring scents born in Vietnam.

A spritz on the fragrance test strip. Waving the paper gently back and forth, bringing it closer and pulling it away to try the scent.

One is a light, airy scent of citrus and neroli. It seems like it would suit a freshly washed linen shirt. The other is tea, flower-scented incense, earth after a squall, rum. I'm not quite sure how to describe it properly. A complex fragrance mixed with humidity, the scent of a slightly dark night. It was exotic, and fascinating. Vietnam is a country rich in both flowers and fruit. In the market, piles of fruits whose names I don't even know are stacked high, and flower shops line the streets. On the roadside, there are also people selling lotus, lilies, and orchids. Just before the rainy season sets in and a squall seems about to burst, there is a scent that rises up from the soil, the rivers, the leaves of the trees, and even from the flower buds. All of it mingles together with the heat of the city. Lately, it seems that perfume brands capturing that very air of Vietnam are being born one after another. This past January, an article like this appeared on Yahoo. It said that in recent years, in the global perfume market, brands "originating from Asia" have been strengthening their presence. Introduced among them was the Vietnam-born fragrance brand "VENUE." It only launched in 2025, but it's already drawing attention from perfume fans around the world, and They are also expanding partnerships with niche shops in Paris and New York. Rather than simply creating a "trendy scent," they are trying to express Vietnam's history and atmosphere, and the urban culture itself, through fragrance. For example, "CHOLON SOCIAL." A scent inspired by Cholon, the Chinese quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, combining russet red-brown notes, cherry rum, incense, and blond tobacco. An old shopping street, a slightly damp night. A dimly lit bar. So that's the kind of scenery behind that distinctive scent. Meanwhile, "CERCLE SPORTIF" carries a light, airy scent made with mandarin and neroli. It calls to mind the hot midday hours of Ho Chi Minh City, and the clean freshness of a white shirt. This sense of turning "the memory of a place" into a scent seems to be drawing attention around the world right now.

Vietnam used to be seen as a country known for cheap mass production. But now, it is transforming into a country that exports sensibility and culture — through food, architecture, fashion, and even fragrance. Perhaps it is only natural that a new culture of scent would be born from this country. Since we're here in Vietnam, let's bring a little new fragrance into our own home too. First, for a middle-aged couple who've become completely sluggish and heavy, maybe something citrus-y that wraps them in a light, refreshing feeling would be a good place to start. *Reference article From "The perfume craze has spread even to Generation Alpha — In 2026, 'delicious scents' and 'Asian origin' are the trends https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4da4f329753669e4581d9035078a7b6b10bbba58?page=1 Relocation Lifestyle Ranking