Perfectly Scentimental—The One Perfume Line I'm Using This Year

      "It's not that deep. It's just perfume." I doubt the woman realized I overheard her tell this to her friend in the bathroom after they had spent the past half hour listening in on my coffee date. I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was in the stall right next to her when she said it. While she's not entirely mistaken— it is just perfume— for someone like me, who is ethnic, the daughter of a refugee, and always searching for deeper meanings, it truly felt "that deep."

      I don’t make purchases driven by TikTok trends. As a self-identified budget queen, I exercise significant restraint regarding impulse buys and am rarely influenced by sponsored TikTok content or influencer endorsements. However, when d'Annam perfume started gaining traction on my Discover page and Google Trends alerts, I was intrigued enough to take a closer look.

      "D'Annam is a fine fragrance house from Vietnam ... steeped in the rich heritage of Asian culture," the brand’s website states. "Celebrating Asia ... we engage with local artists and partners to authentically honor the culture." Furthermore, the brand contributes to societal welfare, donating "a portion of [its] earnings towards improving children's lives in Vietnam, supporting various charities across the nation."

      Sold. In my ongoing quest for the perfect everyday fragrance, I had never made a purchase so quickly.

      My mother was a Vietnamese refugee who escaped her city and country right before the fall of Saigon. A fan of endless bowls of rice, noodles, and any complex carbohydrate, my mom often recounted how she would order multiple XL bowls of pho each day while pregnant with me (a fact my grandfather and father have both confirmed). She is also the reason for our family’s unhealthy addiction to coffee—"because we brew it strong in Vietnam."

      This made acquiring the Discovery Set: Enchanting Vietnam from d'Annam even easier. With fragrances named White Rice, Pho Breakfast, and Vietnamese Coffee, it felt like fate. Can perfume be destined? I'm not certain, but the Vietnamese brand radiated "Mom" to me, so how could I resist?

      **d'Annam Chapter 1: Embracing Vietnam Discovery Set**

      **d'Annam White Rice**

      Let’s begin with the viral fragrance you may have encountered on TikTok, White Rice. Upon my first spritz, the scent felt familiar, yet I struggled to determine if it was a luxury familiarity or something more profound, which puzzled me. As the fragrance settled, the memories came flooding back. White Rice evokes warm, toasted, broken rice layered with the nutty sweetness of pandan—staple ingredients from my early childhood—intertwined and grounded by a base of white musk. I can’t fully explain what this perfume does to my senses other than that it brings back memories of dining with my mother.

      **d'Annam Vietnamese Coffee**

      The second most talked-about scent? Vietnamese Coffee. This puts all other coffee-inspired fragrances I’ve tried to shame. I’m sorry, but it’s true. Western culture has yet to fully experience the essence of Vietnamese coffee, but when I say "she’s the one," I mean it. Coffee beans grown in Vietnam offer a different profile compared to the arabica beans favored in Western coffee culture, which is perhaps what sets this fragrance apart from others I’ve encountered.

      A key element of that distinctive difference? Condensed milk. In our household, freshly brewed robusta coffee over condensed milk is the only accepted way to enjoy coffee, and this sweet perfume captures that buoyant, uplifting scent with a milky sweetness that is just right without being cloying. I have never smelled anything like it. Period.

      **d'Annam Through the Forest**

      Lastly, my unexpected favorite? Through the Forest. I’ve never encountered a fragrance like it. Through the Forest is a spicy scent, and d'Annam describes it as "a form of meditation," one that "isn’t meant for an audience but promotes introspection." This was what that woman in the bathroom was referring to when she told her friend, "It’s not that deep." Because—sorry, lady—it is. Hours into wearing this scent, I understood what was comforting about it, and it moved me deeply.

      The initial scent is peppery and spiced, but as that warmth fades, the incense emerges, transporting me back to the temple where I witnessed my mother pray—for our longevity, health, joy, and protection. When that memory hit me, I cried.

      My mother passed away 11 years ago, and for a perfume brand to embody the scents of her homeland, her heritage, our shared memories, our joy, and love through food and prayer—what an incredible gift. What a beautiful and comforting memory evoked through the senses and celebrated with a mere whiff.

      This all goes to show that d'Annam isn't "just perfume." It’s a love letter