In "The Cafe Apartment" on Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City, on the second floor, there is a workshop called "NOTE – The Scent Lab" where travelers can blend their own perfume. With a Google review score of 4.9 (over 2,400 reviews) and a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 2025 award to its name, this place is emerging as a new go-to experience for a trip to Vietnam.
What you can do
In a 90-minute workshop, you blend your own eau de parfum from more than 30 fragrance materials. Using IFRA (International Fragrance Association) certified materials, you finish with an authentic perfume at 15–20% essential oil concentration.
Participants have so far exceeded 8,000 people. English-speaking instructors are always on hand, and there are sessions where Japanese, Korean, and Chinese support is available.
Fragrances unique to Vietnam
The heart of this workshop is that you can choose natural fragrances produced in Vietnam.
| Fragrance | Scent category | Origin and characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Lotus | Floral (top to middle) | From the Mekong Delta and West Lake. A delicate, waterside sweetness |
| Agarwood (oud) | Woody (base) | Vietnam is one of the world's leading sources. A deep, smoky scent |
| Jasmine | Floral (middle) | A sweet, night-blooming tropical note |
| Cassia | Spicy (base) | From northern Vietnam. Warmer than cinnamon |
| Lemongrass | Citrus (top) | Fresh and invigorating. Familiar in Vietnamese cuisine too |
Lotus and agarwood are fragrances hard to obtain outside Vietnam, tying into the experiential value of "capturing the memory of a trip to Vietnam in a scent."
The five steps of the workshop
- Introduction (10 minutes) — Learn the basics of the fragrance wheel (a classification chart of scents) and top, middle, and base notes
- Exploring scents (15 minutes) — Try more than 30 individual fragrances one by one. The stage for finding the direction of your own preferences
- Concept design (10 minutes) — Share the image of "the mood you want the scent to have" with the instructor and create a blueprint for the blend
- Blending (40 minutes) — Using glass pipettes, actually mix the fragrances together. This is the most focused stretch of time
- Naming and bottling (15 minutes) — Name your finished perfume and pour it into a bottle. You also receive a card with the blend recipe
Because the recipe is stored permanently, you can reorder the same perfume the next time you visit Vietnam.
Participants' voices
- "It was the calmest, most pleasant time of any workshop I've attended." (from a Google review)
- "The instructor, Tien, was truly wonderful. Knowledgeable and patient in teaching."
- "Every time I smell this perfume, I remember my trip to Vietnam. It became my best souvenir."
Practical information for travelers
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Shop name | NOTE – The Scent Lab |
| HCMC locations | 42 Nguyen Hue (The Cafe Apartment, 2F) / Thao Dien (34 Nguyen Duy Hieu) |
| Hanoi location | Lotte Mall Westlake 4F |
| Time required | About 90 minutes |
| Price (10ml) | 550,000 VND (about 3,400 yen) |
| Price (30ml) | 950,000 VND (about 5,900 yen) |
| Price (50ml) | 1,550,000 VND (about 9,600 yen) |
| Reservations | Online booking recommended at least 24 hours in advance. Same-day participation possible if there is availability |
| Age eligibility | 8 and up (ages 8–10 with a guardian) |
| Official site | workshop.thescentnote.com |
The location at 42 Nguyen Hue in The Cafe Apartment has no air conditioning. It is an open space ventilated by ceiling fans and the breeze from the street. The location overlooking the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street is part of the experience too.
Ripple effects on the industry
"Experiential souvenirs" are a new trend in Vietnam tourism. Following lantern making in Hoi An and coffee roasting in Da Lat, perfume blending has joined the lineup.
Compared to conventional "purchase-type souvenirs," experiential ones have the effect of extending travelers' stays and encouraging social media posts. The success of NOTE – The Scent Lab is likely to influence experiential businesses across Vietnam.
Summary
With the concept of "bringing home the scent of Vietnam," NOTE – The Scent Lab has been chosen by more than 8,000 travelers. Its biggest strength is being able to use fragrances unique to Vietnam, such as lotus and agarwood. Devoting 90 minutes of your stay in Ho Chi Minh City to this is well worth it.
The Cafe Apartment visitor guidecompiles information on the cafés within the same building.Tailor-made experiences in Hoi Anandand fish sauce factory tours on Phu Quoc islandare also popular as experiential Vietnamese souvenirs.
