Viet Trang

As an artist in the field of Oudh distillation, it is imperative for me to play my role in protecting this art. Some jump onto the band wagon to make money, neither possessing a part in the history of this art or its future. Even whilst giving the benefit of doubt to such operators it is somewhat difficult to reconcile their narratives. Be it the age of their woods, the location (some of those locations no longer produce Oudh) or the nature of the wood (wild or not), many atimes I and others just cannot reconcile their claims with the reality on the ground.

Now I don’t have the time nor energy to call out everyone participating in this charade and milking our art, but I bore you with a bit of this pretext as it relates to why I have named this oil Viet Trang as opposed to Nha Trang.

I am sceptical with wood sources – until I am personally able to verify the woods myself, as I staunchly believe more attention needs be paid to the source of Wood as it is that part of the supply chain where issues are rooted. When hunters/traders bring out woods they make claims about the nature of the woods; those claims then determine the location, name and sometimes even the quality of the wood. Verifying those claims is key.

Here is Viet Trang (not Nha Trang), as this wood is quality old cultivated agarwood from the centre of Vietnam. Many would call it Nha Trang, but I choose not to as I can comfortably tell you this wood was cultivated wood. Not just any wood but a superior quality wood and many would not be able to differentiate between them. What is noteworthy is we crafted an amazing oil from it; Viet Trang.

Opening with a beautiful lemon grassy note, reminiscent of our Ceen, Viet Trang is complimented with a powdery undertone of camphor, dustings of white florals, cut bamboo trees and a little zest. Picture yourself walking into an orchard of flowering fruit trees. Viet Trang is a dense, dark, and ethereal Oudh. It is beautiful, transformative, an olfactory engagement of the next level, this is going to be one of those oils that define the future of Oudh.

If I was to have sent Viet Trang out as a blind test, you would most likely have rushed to our DM asking for a bottle and willing to pay to get a hold of it. It isn’t everyday that you come across such an amazing cultivated oil that is on a whole different level. So how expensive is this going to be? Well, I could have asked for $500 per gram and based on the quality and smell you would have gladly paid for it. I could have asked for $350 per gram and you would have thought this is the best deal of the year, but to make a point I am going to offer Viet Trang at $385 per bottle, and doesn’t matter what anyone says I am NOT calling it Nha Trang 😊.