Early March, Hanoi
It was still early when we arrived at the garden. The air in Hanoi had that crisp, just-after-dawn quiet, but the trees were already wide awake—clusters of white pomelo blossoms swaying gently, as if greeting us. The morning light filtered through the branches, casting soft shadows on the ground, and everywhere around us, that fresh and gently sweet floral scent of blooming pomelo blossoms wrapped itself around the space. So subtle yet so alive.
We were there not just to observe but to take part in the harvest, to join the farmers who’ve been picking these blossoms season after season. As part of our production team, we’ve worked with pomelo blossom oil many times. We’ve bottled its scent, studied its notes, analyzed its yield. But we’ve never been this close to its beginning. The farmers showed us how to tell which flowers are ready - something that sounds simple but clearly takes experience. There’s a rhythm to how they move through the rows of trees, and a calm focus in the way they work. Watching the farmers gently gather each flower with practiced hands, never rushing, always with care, we felt a kind of reverence we hadn’t expected. Here, harvesting is not simply technical work—it’s deeply human. It depends on people who care, who know the land, and who take pride in what they do.
Somewhere between the laughter, the baskets filling up, and the calm rustle of the trees, that scent really sank in. For those of us who grew up in northern Vietnam, the fragrance of pomelo blossoms is more than just a seasonal note—it’s memory. It’s spring morning at our grandparents’ gardens. It’s the soft scent lingering on our mothers or sisters’ freshly washed hair. It’s the corner of a street where a flower bicyle vendor wandered through. That morning, surrounded by trees in full bloom, it all came rushing back.
We came here to source flowers for distillation, but we left feeling like we’d collected something far more precious—a reminder of why we do what we do. To capture that fleeting beauty, to share a scent that holds so much of who we are. We felt humbled—and proud. Proud to be part of something that brings Hanoi’s quiet elegance to the world. Proud to work with people who understand that beauty is not just in the final product, but in every step it takes to get there.
