Archive · 2022–2026
Chronicle
The chronicle of R Parfums, an independent fragrance house from Saigon, Vietnam, since its first house opened at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu in 2022: four scent exhibitions in Saigon and Hanoi, two evenings of scent and taste in Phú Quốc, and a stand at Notes Shanghai, the niche perfume exhibition.
Every time the doors opened, something stayed behind: photographs, voices, films, writing. They are kept here in the order they happened.
Before the first opening · Huế
On a visit to Huế, the old capital, we stood a long while before its relics.
Traces of moss. Streaks of worn metal. We cherish old things for the years they hold.
Then came twelve months of research and development behind the Patina line. In July 2022 the first Patina bottles went on the shelves at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu.
2022 · Before opening · 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu
From a lived-in house
In April 2022, 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu was still a home: wooden shutters, a balcony, a flowering trellis. Three months later it opened its doors to people who came to smell the scents. The eight frames below are cut from footage of the house, from the days it was lived in to when it was nearly finished.
01 · The old house: wooden shutters opening onto the garden.
02 · The old arched opening is widened; spray paint still on the wall.
03 · From the upper corridor, looking down on the courtyard under construction.
04 · PARFUMS goes up on the raw concrete wall.
05 · The white room with its sloping ceiling; the arched windows now framed.
06 · Nearly there: wooden slats on the ceiling, spotlights, a wooden arched door.
07 · The white façade: columns, balconies, a ceiling fan.
08 · The hall is finished and still empty, waiting for opening day.
In the film
- 20/04/2022
The house as it was then.
- 21/04/2022
The first walls come down.
- 06/2022
Construction: signage on the walls, a curved staircase, brass lamps.
The arched façade complete; the garden and the R; a linen ceiling, glass bells, Patina bottles; the R PARFUMS sign among the leaves.
- 7/2022
The doors open.
The first three dates are printed on the frames of the film.
The years
Each year, another layer
Like a patina plate, R Parfums does not change colour overnight.
- 2022
One house, five scents
- From home to house: 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu opens in July
- Royal Salute × L’Officiel, September
- Five films for five scents, November
- 2023
Words and flowers
- Six scent stories in the Journal
- LITI Florist × L’Officiel, September
- Articles in Phụ Nữ newspaper and L’Officiel
- 2024
The first exhibition
- Pluviophile: seven scents of its own, 14 narrations
- Olfactory Omakase in Phú Quốc
- 221B: eight stories, 15 narrations
- 2025
First exhibition in Hanoi
- Light and Shadow: 221B and Shadow Éclat
- Three television appearances
- Three years at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu
- 2026
Abroad, and back to the rain
- Notes Shanghai: a first glimpse of Lotus Nocturne, in development
- Pluviophile – Chapter 2: five new creations
- Golden Osmanthus Awards: Shadow Éclat, finalist for Best Overseas Fragrance
Records
Every time the doors opened
Open House & Showcasing
The first house opened with five scents and the first Patina bottles. That November, each scent was given a short film of its own.
- scents at opening
- 5
See the full record
- Photographs
- Album “Soft Launching | Moments”, 21 July 2022
- Films
- Five short films for five scents, shot in November 2022 · a 41-second film of the house, from 20 April 2022 until it became our first house
- Scents
- Eau de Hajime · Pluviophile · Nostalgic March · 221B · Béton Chaud
R Parfums × Royal Salute × L’Officiel
L’Officiel’s High Society Chapter 07 – A Batch of Tasting Notes was held at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu. R Parfums told the stories of the house through its first scents, alongside the Patina bottle.
- articles in L’Officiel
- 2
See the full record
- Articles
- Two articles by L’Officiel Vietnam, republished in the Journal on 18 September 2023
Heartbeat
Three scents by Rei Nguyen on a mother’s love, set out as an installation at the first house.
See the full record
#1 Heartbeat · #2 Longing · #3 The first perfume
R Parfums × LITI Florist × L’Officiel
“Exquisite Scent”, the eighth chapter of High Society: flowers by LITI Florist and scents by R Parfums met at Bean There.
See the full record
- Photographs
- Album of 42 photographs, posted 4 October 2023
Pluviophile – The Rain Lover
Seven stories of rain, from Vietnam to Japan, told in seven scents made for the exhibition. Before it opened came a writing competition, “Rain Stories”. On 25 July, Rei Nguyen led guests round the exhibition.
- scents of its own
- 7
- narrations, VI · EN
- 14
See the full record
- Audio
- An introduction and six of the seven stories, in Vietnamese and English (14 narrations), July 2024
- Photographs
- Album of 40 photographs
- Articles
- “The Stories Behind the Seven Scents of the Exhibition Pluviophile – The Rain Lover” · “Looking Back at Scent Exhibition ‘Pluviophile’ (2024): The Rain of Memories” (June 2026) · “Sketches of Rain”, in two parts (May 2026)I — Sketches of Rain: Signals from Dragonfly WingbeatsII — Sketches of Rain: From Wingbeats to the Soul
- Press
- Style Republik · Art Republik · L’Officiel
Green Green Grass · Petrichor · Wet Umbrella · A Lonely Cloud · Rain on a Lake · On a Wooden Bench · Wild Flowers
Open the record →Read the seven stories →Chapter II: Pluviophile →
Olfactory Omakase
On two evenings, Rei Nguyen and Oku’s head chef, Andy Huỳnh, led guests through an omakase in which each dish was paired with a scent inspired by Phú Quốc.
See the full record
Dartique Art Pop-up
For two months, paintings by Devon Nguyễn hung at the first house, each paired with an R Parfums scent.
Letters from 221B Baker Street: Scents of Shadow
A detective story told in scent. Eight stories were read in two languages; the eighth was Shadow Éclat, which later became the sixth R Parfums scent. On 12 December, Rei Nguyen walked guests through the eight stories.
- stories
- 8
- narrations, VI · EN
- 15
See the full record
- Audio
- A greeting and seven of the eight stories, in Vietnamese and English (15 narrations), December 2024
- Photographs
- Album of 65 photographs
- Articles
- “The ‘Letters from Baker Street’ Exhibition: When the Scents of Light and Shadow Speak” (L’Officiel)
- Films
- “The Ideas Behind 221B and Shadow Éclat”, December 2024
Open the record →Read the eight stories →Chapters IV and V: 221B · Shadow Éclat →
Light and Shadow
The first time R Parfums took an exhibition to Hanoi. The light was 221B. The shadow was Shadow Éclat, the scent born of the eighth story in the 221B exhibition. Alongside it came a short story by Rei Nguyen, the writing competition “A Letter to Self” and two television appearances.
- television appearances
- 2
See the full record
- Photographs
- Album of 80 photographs
- Television
- Hanoi Radio and Television news report, 18 February 2025 · VTV3, “Việt Nam Đa Sắc” no. 614, 3 April 2025
The sixth scent, Shadow Éclat, beside 221B.
Three years at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu
The first house turns three, still on the same quiet street in An Khánh Ward.
See the full record
Wedding Symphony 2025
R Parfums scents were part of Wedding Symphony 2025, a wedding event at Hilton Saigon.
See the full record
- Photographs
R Parfums at Notes Shanghai 2026
R Parfums’ first exhibition abroad: its creations and Patina bottles went to Notes Shanghai, the niche perfume exhibition in Shanghai. At stand H11, Lotus Nocturne appeared for the first time: a scent in development, a glimpse of the next R Parfums chapter.
Choosing an R Parfums perfume at Notes Shanghai, memories of my trip to Vietnam flashed back all at once.
See the full record
- Films
- Day one at West Bund, with Rei Nguyen · 82 seconds · 2–5 April 2026
- Photographs
Lotus Nocturne (in development): a lotus under moonlight.
Pluviophile – Chapter 2
Two years on, the rain returned with five new creations.
- new creations
- 5
See the full record
- Films
- Sneak peek, July 2026
#1 On the wingbeat · #2 Longing in the rain · #3 A Date · #4 The Waltz · #5 Where does the rain go?
R Space, 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền — An Khánh Ward
A house has its patina too
The first house opened in July 2022, on a quiet street in An Khánh Ward. In three years it gained a glass room outside to let in the daylight, with just enough greenery to soften the air. Nothing here changes to impress. Each time you come back, you still know it; it has simply deepened by one more layer.
- 7/2022
- Opened with the first five scents.
- 7/2024
- The first scent exhibition, right here.
- 7/2025
- Three years, and a new glass room outside.
- The second house, a corner inside NOTE – The Scent Lab: 42 Nguyễn Huệ, The Café Apartment building, Level 2, Sài Gòn Ward.
- The third house, a corner inside Saigon Scent Lab: 26 Lý Tự Trọng, Level 3, Sài Gòn Ward.
Today each house has all six scents to try on skin, and all are open every day: Nguyễn Duy Hiệu 8:00–18:00 · Nguyễn Huệ 9:00–22:00 · Lý Tự Trọng 10:00–21:30.
At a glance
The chronicle in seven lines
- Period
- 2022 – 2026
- Exhibitions
- Four scent exhibitions: Pluviophile (2024), Letters from 221B Baker Street (2024), Light and Shadow (2025, Hanoi), Pluviophile – Chapter 2 (2026)
- Places
- Saigon · Hanoi · Phú Quốc · Shanghai
- Narration
- The two 2024 exhibitions, most in both Vietnamese and English
- Scents
- Six. The sixth, Shadow Éclat, was born of the 221B exhibition (December 2024)
- Perfumer
- Rei Nguyen
- Smell it first
- Three houses in Ho Chi Minh City, open daily
Questions and answers
Which scent exhibitions has R Parfums held?
Four: Pluviophile – The Rain Lover (19–31 July 2024) and Letters from 221B Baker Street (6–15 December 2024) at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, An Khánh Ward; Light and Shadow at TÁCH Spaces, Hanoi (14–20 February 2025); and Pluviophile – Chapter 2 at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu (16 July – 9 August 2026).
Where did Shadow Éclat come from?
From the eighth story of the exhibition Letters from 221B Baker Street, in December 2024. At Light and Shadow (Hanoi, February 2025), 221B was the light and Shadow Éclat the shadow. It is the sixth R Parfums scent.
What were the seven scents of the 2024 Pluviophile exhibition?
Green Green Grass, Petrichor, Wet Umbrella, A Lonely Cloud, Rain on a Lake, On a Wooden Bench and Wild Flowers: seven scents made for seven stories of rain, from Vietnam to Japan.
Where can I smell the six R Parfums scents?
At our three houses in Ho Chi Minh City, open every day: 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu (8:00–18:00); 42 Nguyễn Huệ, Level 2, inside NOTE – The Scent Lab (9:00–22:00); 26 Lý Tự Trọng, Level 3, inside Saigon Scent Lab (10:00–21:30). Each house has all six scents to try on skin.
Each time the doors open, time leaves one more fingerprint.