"It looks just like a real bar.""A guest exclaimed after stepping through the door."

Before you lies a small but meticulously designed space, with separate areas that don't feel cramped at all. Most of the furniture is made of wood, simple, warm, and unpretentious. The most striking feature is the bar located in the center and running along the length of the "restaurant," where the bartender observes and interacts with customers from behind the counter.

It's hard for anyone to feel out of place here, whether they're customers who know exactly what they want to buy or those who just want to stroll around. If a customer is thirsty on a hot summer day, the bartender will often recommend a glass of Succus iced tea. If you're a romantic and sophisticated person, you can try a glass of Dom Rosa rosé wine. Or, this place even has apple cider "distilled" in Mendittorosa Sirio bottles, perfect for travel enthusiasts and those who love the mountains and forests of Northwest Vietnam.

Several customers stopped in front of the Roja Parfums A Goodnight Kiss display area, slowly admiring the mysterious purple diamond-encrusted cap. Suddenly, the bartender, speaking softly from behind, added: "A Goodnight Kiss is created from the memory of the kiss my mother used to give Roja Dove every night before she went... dancing." Everyone was visibly surprised, partly because of the employee's proactive and interesting approach – evident in the brief story – and partly because of their own preconceived notions. Before arriving, these young customers were already familiar with the advertisements for A Goodnight Kiss in Vietnam. Those advertisements, using a "copy & paste" technique, all described the fragrance as the subtle scent of lovers.

"It looks like the staff here are real bartenders!"- LP, the first customer to enter the cafe, continued his commentary,"They understand what they sell and they understand their customers. After just a short conversation, they know what suits each of their customers best."

"Perfume, which is also an alcoholic liquid that makes people intoxicated, is no different from wine."- A representative from ViinRiic Hanoi began by introducing the place.

The full name is ViinRiic Niche Perfume Gallery - the exclusive and official distributor in Vietnam of nearly 20 high-end niche perfume brands from around the world. Like niche perfumes – those with subtle meanings, unique and selective appeal – Viin Riic was founded in 2015 but has chosen a less flashy and ostentatious approach to development. They have many regular and VIP customers, yet they remain relatively unknown to many fragrance enthusiasts.

Objectively speaking, the appearance of ViinRiic deserves to be considered a significant milestone for the niche perfume market in Vietnam. It is the first "gallery" in the country to exclusively, professionally, and meticulously showcase niche fragrance creations. ViinRiic distributes products at the prices listed on the brands' websites, with each display area adhering to the spirit and distinctive style of that particular perfume house. From top niche perfume houses like Clive Christian, Roja Parfums, and Amouage... to the exquisitely subtle and unconventional house like Mendittorosa, ViinRiic brings them all to Vietnamese perfume enthusiasts.

Over its six years of development, ViinRiic has focused on the fragrance-loving community in Ho Chi Minh City, with a total of four locations. This autumn, ViinRiic expanded northward, becoming the first and only niche perfume gallery in the capital city.

What makes ViinRiic different and worthy of being a destination for fragrance enthusiasts in Hanoi? When asked, guests all gave the same answer: the service experience.

The experiential aspect is first and foremost reflected in the store's design. Each fragrance house here is displayed with a different layout, based on the characteristics (and requirements) of the brand, creating distinct spaces and impressions for each brand. Despite the store's modest size, customers don't feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of fragrances on display.

The experiential aspect is then conveyed through the interaction between the fragrance and the customer, with the staff acting as a skilled and attentive bartender. They don't just introduce the ingredients or inspiration behind a fragrance; using that basic information, they want to continue talking about... the worldview, the thoughts and philosophies of a perfumer, or of the customer themselves. At ViinRiic, you might discover that behind the gold-plated perfume bottles costing hundreds of millions of dong, Roja Dove is an extremely gentle person with unconventional thinking; or that the woman behind the Mendittorosa brand is incredibly interesting and admirable.

"For ViinRiic, luxury doesn't depend on form or price, but on each person's perception and experience."- Representatives from ViinRiic Hanoi shared and explained why they believe the experiential element is what makes this place unique and different.

"Northern Vietnam in general, and Hanoi in particular, has a unique charm: a year has four distinct seasons, plus four transitional periods between seasons, making a total of eight 'seasons'. And each season has its own specialties..."- The ViinRiic representative went on to talk about the inspiration behind the store's operation.

While international perfumes imported to Vietnam are often "Westernized" by sellers through descriptions and metaphors heavily influenced by Western styles, ViinRiic Hanoi takes the opposite approach – they "Hanoi-ize" their fragrance creations. During transitional seasons, it's certain that...fanpageAmidst the staff's stories, they'll tell customers about the scents most closely associated with Hanoi's weather. Sometimes they'll even introduce scents that evoke the "flavor" of street food, or timeless flowers linked to the capital. This isn't surprising, considering that behind ViinRiic Hanoi are souls who have spent... 36 years exploring the 36 streets of Hanoi.

"Hanoi-izing" the scent doesn't mean this place artificially transforms every product into a Hanoi-inspired color scheme. If you look at the small details, like a branch in a single-gray vase – minimalist, elegant, subtly reminiscent of Japanese style; or glance through the round glass window and see the vibrant, gentle, and old-fashioned rhythm of life on Hang Trong street… If you look at it all, you might understand that this place simply aims to highlight the beauty of the present.

"Before ViinRiic, Hanoi didn't have any official distributors of niche perfumes. So since our opening, we've been surprised by the positive reception from customers. It turns out that fragrance lovers in the capital have excellent taste. They're willing to spend, but more importantly, they have unique choices, with an open mind, knowledge, and sophistication," shared a representative from ViinRiic Hanoi.

If you're also a fragrance enthusiast, you probably won't be surprised to learn that one of the bartenders here is... ChQcQ - a fragrance writer for leading Vietnamese magazines, and also one of Travellive's newest and most trusted contributors. ViinRiic is a place ChQcQ frequents, and"My intoxicating feelings about fragrances also originate from here."