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.
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.
A 41-second film with music · 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, from a home to our first house
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.
30/9/2022Collaboration34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, An Khánh Ward
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
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Articles
Two articles by L’Officiel Vietnam, republished in the Journal on 18 September 2023
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
16
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Audio
Seven stories and an introduction, in Vietnamese and English (16 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)
Press
Style Republik · Art Republik · L’Officiel
Competition
“Rain Stories”, 5–18 July 2024, winning entry by Yinke
Green Green Grass · Petrichor · Wet Umbrella · A Lonely Cloud · Rain on a Lake · On a Wooden Bench · Wild Flowers
9/8 – 10/8/2024Scent and tasteOku restaurant, Regent Phú Quốc
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.
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Articles
“Event Recap: A Journey of Scent at the Olfactory Omakase with Oku Restaurant – Regent Phu Quoc”, September 2024 (VI · EN)
6/12 – 15/12/2024Scent exhibition34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, An Khánh Ward
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
18
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Audio
Eight stories, in Vietnamese and English (18 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
14/2 – 20/2/2025Exhibition · first time in HanoiTÁCH Spaces, Hanoi
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 three television appearances.
television appearances
3
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Audio
The eight stories of 221B and “A Greeting from Rei Nguyen” (1′31″)
Photographs
Album of 80 photographs · Hanoi Radio and Television news report, 18 February 2025
Television
VTV3, “Thời gian ơi, kể chuyện!”, episode “Và hoa sẽ nở”, 9 March 2025 · VTV, “Việt Nam Đa Sắc”, 3 April 2025
Writing
Short story “A Visit from the Moon” (Rei Nguyen, 19 February 2025) · writing competition “A Letter to Self”
Articles
“The Journey of the ‘Light and Shadow’ Fragrance Exhibition – From Saigon to Hanoi” · “Shadow Éclat – ‘Radiant Darkness’ – Rei Nguyen’s Sixth Niche Creation”
The sixth scent, Shadow Éclat, beside 221B.
7/2025Milestone34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, An Khánh Ward
Three years at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu
The first house turns three, still on the same quiet street in An Khánh Ward.
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Articles
“Three Years of R Parfums at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu” (VI · EN)
4/2026Niche perfume exhibitionStand H11, West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center, Shanghai
R Parfums at Notes Shanghai 2026
R Parfums took its creations and Patina bottles 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.
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Films
Day 1 with Rei, 82 seconds · clip, 10 April 2026
Articles
“R Parfums: A New Voice from Vietnam at Notes Shanghai 2026” (VI · EN)
Lotus Nocturne (in development): a lotus under moonlight.
Two years on, the rain returned with five new creations and a thirty-minute piece of music built from the exhibition’s background score.
new creations
5
Pluviophile Suite
30′
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Audio
Pluviophile Suite, 30 minutes · 8-hour version · introduction to Chapter 2 (2′30″)
Films
Sneak peek, July 2026
Articles
“Looking Back at Scent Exhibition ‘Pluviophile’ (2024): The Rain of Memories” (June 2026)
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.
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 9:00–22:00.
At a glance
The chronicle in eight 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
36 narrations, most in both Vietnamese and English
Music
Pluviophile Suite, 30 minutes, with an 8-hour version
Scents
Six. The sixth, Shadow Éclat, was born of the 221B exhibition (December 2024)
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.
What is Pluviophile Suite?
A 30-minute piece of music built from the background score of the exhibition Pluviophile – Chapter 2 (2026). There is also an eight-hour version.
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 (9:00–22:00). Each house has all six scents to try on skin.
Today · two bottles, 50 ml
Those scents, to take home
Six R Parfums scents, each in two 50 ml bottles, the same scent in both. Patina keeps time in brass; Ceramic, in fire.
Patina · brass and the years
Three brass pieces, each bottle its own
The bottle we have made since the first day, in 2022. When the pieces are set on the glass, one keeps its brass colour, one is fully patinated, and the third is caught midway. Each bottle is one of a kind, made for one owner.
A cap of fired clay; the glaze shifts from one firing to the next
The most recent bottle line from R Parfums. The cap takes shape in a mould; it is trimmed and its opening cut by hand, then dried, glazed and fired at 1000°C. The kiln decides the glaze and the maker’s hand the tassel, so each Ceramic bottle comes to you as it was finished. A ceramic charm engraved with an R comes with it.
Prices include 8% VAT. Payment: Bank Transfer by VietQR (VND) or Credit Card (USD). VietQR orders are held for 60 minutes while we wait for your transfer. We currently deliver within Vietnam only. Visiting from abroad? Collect your order at any of our three houses.
Each time the doors open, time leaves one more fingerprint.
