Agarwood: From Vietnam’s Forests to the Soul of Your Home

This is not just an incense stick — this is our story.

The First Memory of Agarwood

When I was a child in Vietnam, every Lunar New Year or ancestral memorial was a momentous family occasion. My grandfather, a man of noble lineage, dressed in a traditional áo dài, would carefully take out a piece of brown wood with white veins from a mother-of-pearl inlaid box. He placed it in a polished bronze censer and lit it. Thin smoke rose like a strip of silk, carrying a warm, sweet fragrance that filled the room. To me, that was the scent of memory.

At the time, I only knew that the wood was agarwood and that it was expensive. After the war, when food was scarce, having agarwood to burn was a luxury. Later, I realized that a piece of agarwood like that could have been exchanged for many meals. But to a child, it was simply joy — the warmth of a family reunion during the New Year.

As I grew older and traveled to many places, I kept searching for that scent. I sometimes find incense in a Japanese shop in San Francisco, or through a Chinese friend who introduced me to it. Yet nothing ever resembled the agarwood of my hometown — the scent of memory I had always longed for.

 

The Secret of Agarwood – Nature’s Treasure

Agarwood is no ordinary wood. Not every tree can become agarwood. Only when the Aquilaria tree is wounded does its resin slowly accumulate over decades to form this precious wood. That is why agarwood is so rare and highly valued — even in ancient times, feudal dynasties considered it a royal tribute.

Today, Vietnam is still regarded as the cradle of the finest agarwood, especially in Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc. People call it the “diamond of the forest” — rare, precious, and nearly impossible to price. For thousands of years, agarwood has been treasured, and was even one of the reasons Chinese dynasties sought tribute from Vietnam.

 

The Journey of Agarwood Through History

Agarwood’s story has been woven into trade and religion for millennia. In India and the Middle East, it was known as Oud. In China, agarwood was prized as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), used in imperial perfumes. By the 15th century, Portugal, Spain, England, and France had carried agarwood into Europe through the East India companies.

The rarest type — Keenam — exists only in Vietnam. Prices can range from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram, and only experts can distinguish genuine high-grade agarwood from the rest. No wonder it has always been compared to diamonds.

 

Timeless Meaning

For thousands of years, agarwood has been present in sacred rituals, meditation, spiritual life, manifestation, and even medicine. The Chinese mixed it into liquor for soldiers as a disinfectant before battle. The Japanese and Indians burned agarwood during prayers. The Greeks and Romans saw it as a treasure from the East.

Through the centuries, agarwood has never lost its meaning: bringing tranquility, uplifting the spirit, and healing both body and mind.

 

Agarwood in Modern Life

Today, agarwood is no longer just tied to rituals or tradition — it has become part of a modern, balanced lifestyle. In the global wellness movement, it is cherished for its ability to calm the mind, ease anxiety, invite inner peace, improve sleep, and support emotional well-being in stressful times.

In yoga, agarwood creates a sacred stillness, guiding the body and mind into meditation. In mindfulness, its fragrance helps anchor awareness in the present moment. And for those working at high intensity, a single stick of agarwood can be the pause that reduces stress, sparks creativity, and strengthens mental resilience.

That is why today, agarwood is seen as a bridge between past and present, between nature and modern life, and between the need to move fast and the desire to live slowly, with intention.

 

Our Connection with Agarwood

We were never traditional traders of agarwood. We work in technology and e-commerce in San Francisco, constantly moving between the U.S. and Asia. By chance, I was given a tube of agarwood incense in Da Nang, Vietnam. When I lit it, childhood memories came flooding back. That was the scent I had been searching for all along.

Since then, agarwood has become part of my daily ritual — and my team’s. In long, demanding workdays, a small stick of incense brings a precious pause: helping us relax, focus, and sleep more deeply. I am grateful to my team — Americans, yet open-hearted enough to embrace this Asian treasure. We often joked, Why don’t we try to make agarwood that is ethical, authentic, and accessible?

 

Still11 – Where Technology Meets Tradition

That was the beginning of Still11. We met our partner, Harry Nguyen, a biochemical engineer living in the land of agarwood, with passion and decades of research behind him. With his local expertise and modern science, he helped us create incense sticks that preserve the soul of tradition while ensuring health and safety.

Did you know it takes 200 kilograms of agarwood to extract just 600 milliliters of essential oil? Through advanced craftsmanship, we can produce incense that is smooth, refined, and gentle. Each stick represents an entire journey: from Aquilaria trees deep in the forest, to the resin formulation, to meticulous crafting that creates pure, delicate smoke. It is the fusion of Eastern tradition and modern standards — and we are proud to share it through Still11.

Agarwood is nature’s treasure, the fragrance of memory, and the embodiment of peace in modern life. Still11 was born from this serendipity, with the hope of sharing a piece of that memory and stillness with you.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. If you, too, are seeking a moment to slow down, let Still11 accompany you from a single incense stick, unfolding into a lifelong journey of stillness and connection.

Team Still11

Stillness is a choice.