“I just want something that will remember Vietnam for me, when I forget.”
That’s what Clara said as she held the small bottle of perfume in her palm. “Tale of Hinoki” was the perfume she chose at our store.
She was from Australia, traveling to Vietnam for the second time with her bestfriend. She told us she had once ridden a motorbike along the Hai Van Pass with someone she loved. “We didn’t take many photos,” she smiled, “But I remember how the air smelled. Like something green, and light, and almost too wide to hold.
Tale of Hinoki, a scent that opened with cool bergamot and lavender, but settled into something deeper, woody, almost still. “This feels like the space between conversations,” she said. “This feels like that ride.”
She didn’t ask for a gift bag. She wrote a note on the thank-you card, folded it carefully, and tucked it inside the box. Then she looked up and said, “Now I can take it with me, not just where I’ve been, but who I was when I was there.”
When we travel, we don’t just collect photographs or passport stamps. We gather moments, such as sipping coffee by a Hanoi street corner, the weightless feeling of riding through Saigon’s golden dusk, and the hush of incense curling through an ancient pagoda. And when the journey ends, we search for something to carry these memories home.
Why Scents Make the Most Lasting Local Vietnamese Gifts
There is something intimate about a gift you can’t see but always feel: Scent. It lingers quietly, returning when you least expect it on a rainy morning, in a passing breeze, or as a dream folds open.
Scents don’t just decorate our lives; they carry emotion, memory, and meaning. This makes them among the most poetic and personal local gifts one can give.
Rooted in sensory storytelling, NOTE creates perfumes, essential oils, candles, and home fragrances that reflect the landscape, spirit, and subtle mood of Vietnam. From a morning wind over highlands to the soft hush of twilight lotus, every product is a crafted impression: Elegant, modern, and unmistakably local.
Top Scented Local Gifts Loved by Travelers
Whether you’re looking for something small to slip into your carry-on or a gift set to impress someone back home, NOTE offers unique Vietnamese souvenirs that strike a balance between design, aroma, and emotional resonance.
Whether you’re buying for a loved one or yourself, a scented gift carries more than just fragrance; it holds memories, moods, and moments. At NOTE – The Scent Lab, every scent is designed not just to smell good, but to feel meaningful. Here are some of our recommendations based on our customers’ most-picked gifts!
Perfume: A Personal Story in Every Drop
Bright, free, and full of life, Dance In The Wind opens with juicy bergamot and peach, sprinkled with pink pepper and a whisper of ozonic air. At its heart lies osmanthus, grounded by the soft, powdery grace of Iris and Moss.
It’s the scent of a summer wind racing through open fields, evoking motion, joy, and a sense of discovery. Many travelers have chosen this as a gift for daughters, sisters, or loved ones who embody youth and freedom.
For those seeking something quieter, more introspective, Tale of Hinoki offers a serene, woody profile. Inspired by moments of solitude, it weaves together Japanese hinoki wood with Chamomile, Lavender, and a complex base of Leather, Vanilla, and Guaiac wood.
It feels like walking alone in an old temple garden after the rain, deeply calming yet emotionally layered. This has become a favorite among mature travelers, writers, and artists who find meaning in stillness.
Vibrant and playful, LemonMelon is a bottle full of sunshine. It begins with crisp lemon and juicy melon, blended with neroli for a clean, citrusy heart, and anchored in subtle white musk.
This scent brings to mind early mornings in Vietnam, when sunlight warms dew-kissed grass and fresh fruit fills the air. Lighthearted and energetic, it’s a perfect choice for friends and teenagers, a cheerful memory of summer days.
Not your typical rose, this scent defies expectations. With rose at its core but surrounded by bright mandarin, delicate powder, and a whisper of musk, it feels ethereal, modern, and soft. A bestseller for those who don’t usually like rose perfumes, it represents the quiet power of softness, a gentle rebellion, bottled.
From light and citrusy to woody and meditative, NOTE’s perfumes span moods and personalities. Each is crafted in small batches, designed with care, and packaged with a minimalist elegance that makes gifting effortless and thoughtful.
Essential Oils: A Ritual for the Senses
If perfume captures a fleeting moment, then essential oil blends are the quiet rituals that hold you through the day. At NOTE – The Scent Lab, every blend is crafted with intention — to bring stillness, clarity, or warmth into your life, wherever you are in the world.
Eucalyptus. Peppermint. Rosemary.
A cooling, herbal blend that opens the senses and clears the mind. Ideal for early mornings, post-flight recovery, or work-from-home focus. Breathe is chosen by those who love the freshness of Vietnam after summer rain — crisp, clean, and revitalizing.
Lavender. Orange. Frankincense.
This meditative blend was born from the stillness of Vietnamese temples. Lavender calms, orange uplifts, and frankincense grounds the breath — together, they form a scent that invites presence and peace. Customers often choose Pray as a reminder of the inner quiet they found while traveling in Vietnam.
Bright, zesty, unmistakably local. Lemongrass is one of Vietnam’s most iconic scents, used in everything from cuisine to folk remedies. Lemongrass Essential Oil can be a stimulant, a relaxant, and an anti-depressant that also has soothing and balancing properties. It can also be useful in relieving muscle and joint pains caused by overexertion of muscles through exercise.
Dry, grounding, with a natural remedy from the woods. Though sourced outside Vietnam, this oil helps to improve cerebral activity, relax the body, enhance concentration, clear the mind, and encourage the onset of quality sleep. It also acts as a useful insect repellent, used in mindfulness rituals or simply to wind down the day. Cedarwood feels like a long exhale.
Scented Candles: Light and Memory
There’s something quietly powerful about the way a candle can hold a moment still, in the flicker of light. Each candle from NOTE – The Scent Lab is hand-poured in Vietnam and thoughtfully composed to tell a story in scent.
In many families, fathers are the quiet ones — not always the first to speak, but always present in their own quiet ways. For some, joy comes simply in the form of reading the news, tending to small potted plants, or brewing a pot of tea as the day winds down.
“Sit and have some tea with Dad.”
He doesn’t always say much, but that’s how he starts a conversation. That’s how he listens.
Inspired by those silent yet tender moments, Tea with Papa is a candle that smells of quiet love. Notes of tea and green leaves come together to create a scent that feels like coming home.
This candle is often the one that foreign visitors linger with the longest at NOTE, not because it’s loud or dramatic, but because it quietly speaks to something deeper. It’s a gift for anyone who values presence over words, for sons and daughters far from home, or for those who want to keep a piece of their father in a quiet corner of their room.
A gentle breeze, captured in scent.
Like a breeze slipping through curtains on a quiet afternoon, Light As Air is a candle crafted for moments of calm, clarity, and quiet joy. Its scent doesn’t arrive with fanfare. It lingers — soft, subtle, and soothing, easing the mind and opening up space to breathe.
The fragrance begins with the cool touch of mint, followed by a note of apple, then come the green leaves, grounding the composition with a sense of presence and balance.. Beneath it all, patchouli adds warmth and depth, a quiet reassurance that holds the lightness in place.
Reed Diffusers
Designed to bring long-lasting fragrance to your home without the need for flames or plugs, NOTE – The Scent Lab’s reed diffusers offer an elegant and effortless way to scent your space. Each diffuser blends natural essential oils into a refined base, diffusing slowly through rattan reeds to create a continuous, gentle presence.
A soft, green floral composition that evokes the quiet renewal of early summer. Notes of cucumber, iris, gardenia, and sandalwood weave together into a scent that feels fresh yet grounded, perfect for living rooms or bedrooms in need of calm.
Draws inspiration from the serene ambiance of a Vietnamese lotus pond. With lotus, green tea, and a hint of honey, it creates a subtle warmth that feels both clean and meditative. Ideal for workspaces, reading corners, or any spot where quiet focus is needed.
Gift Sets
A popular choice among travelers seeking meaningful local gifts from Vietnam, NOTE’s curated gift sets blend fragrance, design, and a personal touch. Whether you’re gifting someone special or treating yourself to a sensory keepsake, these sets are made to linger — in scent and in memory.
A refined gift for those who view scent as a part of their identity. This set includes a bottle of NOTE’s signature Tale of Hinoki perfume and dried flowers, elegantly packaged with a Hinoki-themed postcard. More than a gift, it’s a gesture of style, calm, and introspection.
Includes:
– Tale of Hinoki Eau de Parfum (10ml / 30ml / 50ml)
– Gift box with dried flowers
– Hinoki-themed postcard
Fragrance notes: Lavender, Chamomile, Leather
A comforting blend of gentle candlelight and dried floral elegance. This set is perfect for cozy evenings, quiet rituals, or simply transforming a space into a peaceful retreat.
Includes:
– 1 Premium scented candle
– Gift box with dried flowers
Available scents:
– Nocturne: Tuberose, Jasmine, Amber
– Flying Petals: Lily of the valley, Magnolia, Lavender
– Tea with Papa: Tea leaves, Green foliage
– Summer’s Promise: Gardenia, Frangipani, Sandalwood
– Tàn Đêm: Ylang-ylang, Orange blossom, Vanilla
These sets are among the most treasured local gifts chosen by foreign visitors, beautifully crafted, easy to carry, and always memorable.
Among all the offerings at NOTE – The Scent Lab, the Customized Perfume Workshop stands out as one of the most popular souvenirs chosen by international visitors. For many travelers, crafting a personal fragrance becomes a way to capture their journey through Vietnam, not through photos or postcards, but in scent.
Each Customized Perfume Workshop at NOTE – The Scent Lab offers a hands-on, sensory journey guided by professional instructors. You’ll begin by exploring over 50 raw scent ingredients, learning how each note interacts and evolves on your skin. With expert guidance, you’ll then blend your own 10ml, 20ml, 30ml or 50ml Eau de parfum, tailored to your personality, memories, and preferences. Your finished perfume is bottled, labeled, and beautifully packaged, ready to take home as a deeply personal souvenir or heartfelt gift. Workshops are available in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with sessions conducted in English.
The experience allows each guest to create a one-of-a-kind perfume that no one else owns, blending hand-picked ingredients with memories, moods, and personal style. It’s a uniquely meaningful local gift, both immersive and lasting, and a favorite among those seeking something truly personal to bring home.
Book your workshop now and bottle your Vietnam experience in scent!
A Growing Interest from the Middle East customers
In recent months, NOTE – The Scent Lab has welcomed an increasing number of travelers from the Middle East, particularly from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Drawn by Vietnam’s cultural richness and natural beauty, these visitors also show a deep appreciation for local artisanal products, especially scent.
At NOTE, they often linger longest at our woodier, deeper scent lines, asking thoughtful questions about ingredients like musk, incense, amber, and dry woods. Many seek gifts that reflect their olfactory heritage, yet are lighter, more modern, and easier to wear in daily life or while traveling.
This rising interest has become a meaningful bridge between the heritage-rich scent culture of the Arab world and the quieter elegance that defines NOTE’s perfumery. It’s also encouraged us to better understand and curate product selections that speak to your taste and interest in perfumes.
Bring Home a Feeling, Not Just a Thing
The best local gifts are those that whisper of places and people long after the trip ends. In Vietnam, such gifts are everywhere — not just bought, but experienced, felt, and remembered.
Let a fragrance tuck the memory of a summer night into your pocket. Let a tea carry the echo of northern hills. Let your gift speak softly in the language of this country: one of textures, scents, warmth, and light.
And when someone asks, “Where did you find this?”, you can smile and say — “In Vietnam, where stories are given shape and scent.”
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