Chapter I · Chypre Floral · Eau de Parfum
Like a first affection
Như lần đầu tiên thương mến
Eau de Hajime is a chypre floral eau de parfum by Rei Nguyen of R Parfums, and the first fragrance she ever made. Petitgrain, pear and bergamot open onto rose, sambac jasmine and narcissus, over a base of patchouli, labdanum resin, oakmoss and amber.
Chapter I · The story
Some moments are never photographed, and you keep them anyway.
Two people catch each other’s eye, and both hesitate. Light through leaves, falling on the hem of a dress. The first time you walk into a place and want to stay.
No single scene is written into Hajime. The picture is yours to fill in.
“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.”
“Thi thoảng, khi nhắm mắt lại, tôi vẫn nhớ những đốm sáng lấp lánh từ những chiếc đèn lồng ở Kyoto. Những dải sáng trôi dài trên phố, chênh chao trong gió, vương vấn mùi hương phấn từ một chiếc kimono nhẹ nhàng lướt qua.”
Rei Nguyen, quoted in 2023; our translation.
The composition
A chypre is an old structure in perfume: bergamot at the top, oakmoss and labdanum underneath. A chypre floral sets flowers inside that frame. Hajime keeps the frame and lightens it, so the notes come through clean and bright, with amber at the close. The balance was reworked over several years before the formula was settled.
On the skin it does not reach for attention. It opens fresh, turns to flowers, and settles warm.
The same scent in the Patina and the Ceramic bottle.
“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
Smell next
From the Journal and the Archive
In the press: Robb Report Vietnam, 2025 described Hajime as “Tươi sáng và có chút ngây thơ”: bright, with a touch of innocence (our translation from the Vietnamese).
In the Archive: Open House & Showcasing, July 2022. The first house opened with five scents, Eau de Hajime among them.
One scent, two bottles
The scent inside is the same, and so is the 50 ml. One bottle carries a plate of patinated brass; the other is closed with fired clay, each cap in its own shade of glaze.
Patina on Brass · 50 ml
Hajime wears the Verde Patina, the green-blue it shares with Pluviophile and Nostalgic March. No two plates come out alike.
The idea came from relics in Huế; twelve months of research and development went into the Patina line. Each piece is corroded, filed and set on the glass. How the plate is made →
Film: Series #1, The Patina Bottle
Ceramic · 50 ml
A small sphere of fired clay closes the bottle, in a glaze that recalls Chu Đậu ware. The kiln decides the glaze and the maker’s hand the tassel, so each Ceramic bottle comes to you as it was finished.
Liquid clay is poured into white moulds, each sphere is cut at the mouth, and the glaze goes on pink. The fire brings out the colour, which shifts with the light and from one firing to the next. How the cap is made →
A tassel, and a ceramic charm engraved with R.
Film: Ceramic and fire · 1:29 · silentPatina and Ceramic, compared
| Feature | Patina · 50 ml | Ceramic · 50 ml |
|---|---|---|
| The scent | Eau de Hajime, eau de parfum | The same scent |
| Volume | 50 ml / 1.7 fl. oz. | 50 ml / 1.7 fl. oz. |
| The bottle | Glass, with Patina on Brass: three brass pieces, corroded, filed and set on the glass | Glass, closed with a clay sphere cast in a mould and fired at 1000°C |
| What changes | Piece I keeps its brass, piece II is caught midway, piece III has turned fully to patina. A UV-resistant coat slows the change; it does not stop it | The glaze comes out a little differently in every firing, and shifts with the light |
| Detail | Verde Patina, shared with Pluviophile and Nostalgic March · UV-resistant coat | Ceramic charm engraved with R |
| On film | Series #1, The Patina Bottle | Ceramic and fire |
| Price, incl. 8% VAT | 4.536.000 ₫US$180 | 3.855.600 ₫US$155Currently unavailable · expected back late November |
| Go further | Hajime in Patina Patina in all six chapters | Hajime in Ceramic Ceramic in all six chapters |
Same scent, two bottles: Patina on Brass or Ceramic — see how each is made.
For the record
Eau de Hajime, by R Parfums, is pear and flowers over moss. The top notes are petitgrain, pear and bergamot; the middle, rose, sambac jasmine and narcissus; the base, patchouli, labdanum resin, oakmoss and amber. It is a chypre floral: the classic structure, made lighter and brighter.
Hajime means “the first time” in Japanese. It was the first fragrance the perfumer Rei Nguyen made, and it is Chapter I of the house.
A chypre is an old structure in perfume: bergamot at the top, oakmoss and labdanum underneath. A chypre floral sets flowers inside that frame. In Hajime they are rose, sambac jasmine and narcissus, kept clean and bright, with amber at the close.
Yes: smell it at our three houses in Ho Chi Minh City, open daily, or try a 2 ml sample at home (see Smaller sizes).
We deliver within Vietnam only — see Stockists for Taiwan.
Smell it in person
Smell Hajime on paper, then on your skin, before you choose. Each house has all six scents to try on skin.
House I
Open daily · 8:00–18:00
House II
Open daily · 9:00–22:00
House III
Open daily · 9:00–22:00
Hajime keeps no pictures. It keeps a feeling.
