Hanoi Musk – Discovering the North side of Vietnam

In the South we have Saigon Garden, in the north we have Hanoi Musk.

The South represent warmer climates and therefore the flora, the botanical side from Vietnam. The north represents oriental secrets of aromatic spice ingredients. In the middle is Hue, the former imperial city, where the citadel resides surrounded by a canal filled with lotus flowers all around.

Perfume River

The Perfume River is a river that crosses the city of Huế, in the central Vietnamese province of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province. In the autumn, flowers from orchards upriver from Huế fall into the water, giving the river a perfume-like aroma, hence the sobriquet.

Aromatic spices

The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove and turmeric were known and used in antiquity and traded in the Eastern World.

Vietnamese wood carving

Wood-carving villages were founded in the Ly and Tran dynasties. Chang Handicraft Village is located in Son Tay near Hanoi, once the ancient capital of Thang Long. Here, wood carvers perfected techniques of overhanging and chaining sculptures. This region, in former Ha Tay province and now part of greater Hanoi, was also known for its jewelry-making, weaving and embroidery.

Wood used not only in carving

Agarwood, or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in carvings as well as in incense, perfume and even jewelry. It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when they become infected with a type of mold (Phialophora parasitica). As the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin, called aloes (commonly known as gaharu, jinko, oud, or oodh aguru) The resin-embedded wood is valued in Indian-North Eastern culture for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes. Its name is believed to have first and foremost Sanskrit origin, formed from ‘Aguru’.

Saigon Elixir Hanoi Musk

Inspired by the rich Asian heritage of art, spices and wood material, Hanoi Musk represent this the best of this history. Hanoi Musk is a beautiful blend of wood, amber resin, oriental spices notes, combined with rose, patchouli and musky ingredients. The enchanting encounter between the woody notes and the power of balanced roses and spices, tempered by musk. This fragrance captures oneself with the ancient Orient. Saigon Elixir Hanoi Musk is perfect for the ones seeking something special, delicate and outstanding – for the mysterious types amongst us.