Tết 2027

Narcissus that outlasts Tết.

Most gifts for Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, are set out and used up: a box of biscuits, a tin of tea, a hamper. What people remember is usually something tended for them. Like the narcissus bulb: in the weeks before Tết it is peeled, carved by hand, set in water and watched every day until it flowers. Eau de Hajime keeps narcissus at its heart, and Hajime means “the first time” in Japanese. A scent to open the year with, still there when the flowers are gone.

Eau de Hajime Gifts

Eau de Hajime in the Patina bottle on a dark ground, three pieces of green-blue patinated brass on the glass

Three or four weeks for one bulb

A narcissus bulb arrives rough, its outer skin hard. The carver peels it scale by scale with a small knife until the green shoot inside shows. Each cut has to be just right: one too deep can harm a young root. Then come three or four weeks of care, fresh water and waiting.

In 2025 the house’s Journal followed this carving step by step, in a piece on narcissus and Eau de Hajime.

Narcissus in a bottle

Narcissus will not give up its scent to steam. The flowers are steeped in solvent to make a fragrant wax, the concrete, which is washed once more into an absolute.

In Eau de Hajime, narcissus sits in the middle notes with rose and sambac jasmine, and lays a yellow warmth over them, like sun through sheer fabric.

Top: petitgrain, pear, bergamot.
Middle: rose, sambac jasmine, narcissus.
Base: patchouli, labdanum resin, oakmoss, amber.

Pear is about 0.1% of the formula, a small share, yet much of Hajime’s young, green character rests on it. The family is chypre floral: the classic structure, made lighter and brighter. On the skin, Hajime opens fresh, turns to flowers, and settles warm.

The first time

Eau de Hajime is Chapter I of the house. In July 2022, the first house, at 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, opened with five scents, Eau de Hajime among them.

“Hajime” means “the first time” in Japanese. This was the first fragrance I ever created — a beginning held in scent. There was tenderness, clarity, curiosity, and above all, a quiet joy: the joy of finally finding where I belonged.

Rei Nguyen, perfumer, from the memo for Eau de Hajime.

Another memory, which Rei told in 2023:

“Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I still remember the points of light from the lanterns in Kyoto. Long ribbons of light drifting down the street, swaying in the wind, and the powdery scent of a kimono brushing past.”

Translated from the Vietnamese.

Gifts for Tết 2027

Tết falls on Saturday 6 February 2027.

A bottle to keep: Eau de Hajime 50 ml in Patina on Brass, three pieces of brass in the green-blue Verde Patina, no two plates alike.
Ceramic: Currently unavailable · expected back late November. The Ceramic page has a “Tell me when Ceramic is back” box.
For someone who has not chosen yet: the Discovery Set, five 2 ml vials, Eau de Hajime among them.
For someone who travels: the 12 ml, in its round dark brown case. See the smaller sizes.
For everyone else on the list: Gifts.

Sending it before Tết

In your bag, tick “This is a gift” and write a message for the card, up to 200 characters. The card is written by hand, and the slip in the box shows no price. We deliver anywhere in Vietnam, or you can collect from one of our three houses in Ho Chi Minh City; to collect, bring your order number from your confirmation email.

Payment: Bank Transfer by VietQR (VND) or Credit Card (USD).

The person who receives the bottle can exchange it, unsprayed, for another scent, bottle or size within the 14-day change-of-mind window. The 14 days count from the day the order arrived, not from Tết or the day it was given, so keep that in mind if you buy early. The full terms are under Returns.

Questions

Does Eau de Hajime smell of narcissus?

Yes. Narcissus sits in the middle notes with rose and sambac jasmine, over patchouli, labdanum resin, oakmoss and amber.

How is narcissus made into a perfume material?

It will not give up its scent to steam, so the flowers are steeped in solvent to make a concrete, which is washed once more into an absolute.

When is Tết in 2027?

Saturday 6 February 2027.

If I buy a gift early, can it still be exchanged?

Yes, if the bottle is unsprayed and within 14 days of the order arriving.