Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika by Huy Nguyen Tran

Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika by Huy Nguyen Tran is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze in Kwamamaza Competition Category.

BuronzeKwamamaza· 2026

Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika

by Huy Nguyen Tran

Client: Huong

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze Winner in Kwamamaza Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika

Huong ni umushinga w'ikirango n'ipfunyika ku kirango cya none cy'imibavu yo muri Vietnam. Igishushanyo cyongera gusobanura umuhango wo guhimbaza abakurambere nk'umuhango utuje ukoresha ubushobozi bwo kumva, ugenewe urubyiruko. Amabara akurikiza ihame ry'Ibintu Bitanu, naho imiterere y'ipfunyika ikomoka ku ihame ry'Ubwumvikane Butandatu no ku nzu gakondo y'ibyumba bitatu. Iyi seti irimo isanduku nkuru ifite impande esheshatu, udusanduku dutandatu tw'imibavu two imbere, ibikoresho bibiri byo gushinga imibavu hamwe n'ibicapo. Urubuga rwa interineti ruherekeza ubu buhanzi rwitwa Gap rukomeza gukoresha uwo muterere w'amashusho, rugaha abarusuye amahirwe yo gukorana n'amashusho y'ibisekuruza akozwe mu gicucu cyabo bwite.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze

Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze, ishimwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo by'indashyikirwa birangwa no guhanga, ubwenge n'ubushishozi. Abegukanye Buronze ni ibihangano bifite ubuhanga bwinshi kandi bihanga cyane, bishimangira uburambe, ubwenge n'ubushobozi bw'ababihanze. Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika biteganyijwe ko izaba ikintu cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifite ubunyamwuga n'udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Buronze gikoresha uburyo bwiza mu buhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga kandi kirarenze mu gutaha ku tuntu duto. Huong Incense Umwirondoro w'Ikirango, Igishushanyo cy'Ipfunyika ishimisha ibyo dukeneye, ikora ku byifuzo byacu, itwara amarangamutima yacu kandi ikurura amatsiko yacu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Huong (Scent) is a contemporary incense brand that reinterprets Vietnamese ancestor worship for younger generations through a refined sensory-wellness ritual. Distinctive strengths include a heritage-led identity system, Five Elements color logic, and packaging architecture derived from Six Harmonies and traditional three-compartment house typology. The project is extended by Gap (Meet), an interactive platform where users’ shadow-based ancestral silhouettes connect personal memory with collective lineage.
Dimensions & Packaging: The set includes 1 hexagonal master box, 6 inner incense boxes, 2 incense holders, and supporting printed materials (brochure, leaflet, instruction card). The structure is based on Six Harmonies and a three-panel opening inspired by traditional Vietnamese altar-house layouts. The package combines symbolic storytelling and practical usability, while the Gap (Meet) website extends the same visual system into an interactive digital ritual journey.
Tags: Renovative, Original, Respect, Nostalgic, Mythical
Production Technology: We developed Huong through a research-led creative process that blends cultural storytelling with contemporary brand execution. The system includes identity design, pattern development, structural packaging prototyping, 3D visualization, and interactive web design. From logo to layout, each element was refined through iterative testing to keep the experience meaningful, clear, and emotionally engaging across print, object, and digital touchpoints.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was modernizing a sacred tradition without reducing it to decoration. We needed to balance spiritual authenticity with contemporary aesthetics across language, form, and interaction. Another challenge was building one coherent narrative across packaging and digital media. Through repeated cultural review and design iteration, we achieved a system that feels both respectful and relevant to younger audiences.
Research: This project uses qualitative cultural and design research. Our objective was to renew Vietnamese ancestor worship for younger generations. We combined desk research, visual analysis, and iterative prototyping, using historical references, folklore symbols, packaging mockups, and interaction wireframes. Team critiques and user readability checks guided refinement. The result is a clear, heritage-led brand experience that strengthens cultural continuity and makes ritual practice more approachable in modern life.
Inspiration: Huong was inspired by Vietnam’s fading tradition of ancestor worship and the profound symbolism of incense as a bridge between worlds. Through cultural research on Vietnamese rituals, Vietnamese Gods, Spiritual Deities, Five Elements Theory, and the Yin–Yang philosophy, the project reinterprets these heritage elements into modern packaging and digital experiences—reviving spiritual values and reconnecting younger generations with their ancestral roots.
Project Duration: The project started in April 2025 and finished in November 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Operation Flow: The experience begins as users open the hexagonal master box, revealing six incense sets arranged like chapters of a story. Each box unfolds smoothly, guiding the user through layers of discovery—from lighting incense, uncovering its meaning, knowing more about Ancestral Worshipping and Vietnamese Incense Village.

The Gap (Meet) website extends this ritual digitally, letting users interact with ancestral silhouettes inspired by their own shadow—turning a simple act into a personal, spiritual reunion.
Team Members: Director: Huy Nguyen
Designer: Linh Bui
Designer: Thanh Nguyen
Motion Designer: An Do
Copywriter: Mai Phuong Le
Copywriter: Thien My Bui
Motion Designer: Thanh Dang
3D Supervisor: Thu Pham
3D Designer: Khanh Nguyen
Instructor: Ha Van Minh