Bottle Design:
Pierre Dinand

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Ho Hang Balenciaga 1971 Eau de Toilette

8.3 / 10 115 Ratings

A popular perfume by Balenciaga for women and men, released in 1971. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Citrus

Fresh

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Lemon

Mint

Orange

Heart Notes

Rosewood

Cedar

Patchouli

Pelargonium

Base Notes

Labdanum

Benzoin

Tonka bean Vanilla

Vanilla

Perfumers

Raymond Chaillan, Jacques Jantzen

Ratings

Scent

8.3115 Ratings

Longevity

6.984 Ratings

Sillage

6.482 Ratings

Bottle

7.388 Ratings

Value for money

6.814 Ratings

Submitted by Lissy, last update on 07/25/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Ho Hang After Shave

Sagamore Eau de Toilette

Égoïste Eau de Toilette

Equipage Eau de Toilette

Eau de Cologne Fraîche

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/16/2014

5Scent 2.5Longevity 2.5Sillage

Efemmeral
20 Reviews

Efemmeral

Ho Hum

Ludicrous faux Asian name that I find nearly as annoying as "oriental" being the name of a fragrance category. Trying to translate these phonemes in Mandarin gave "back alleys" or "waiting line". Vietnamese offered the slightly more promising "relatives", whereas the Filipinos sensibly declined to be drawn on the matter.

But how does it smell? Well, like Switzerland actually. Plenty of fresh air and sunshine, ever so well groomed, and neutrally poised between trad. EdC, soapy barbershop, herbal fougère and yes, perhaps even a whisper of "Oriental" through a very muted vanillatonkabenzoin contribution.

No Asians, 'Hos or back alleys in sight, this is a lemony fresh scent with a hearty geranium and lavender riding on a smooth soapy base. Nothing to excite, but it won't get you bombed either.

08/28/2012

9Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Callas
187 Reviews

Callas

Helpful Review 4

Mr. and Mrs. Ho Hang with tension expects

First snuffling impression: „come, hmmm, very well“

Why does Balenciaga call a perfume like one name more Asianly?
I haven't been able to find any explicable reason for it.
The name is briefly and concisely and no French tongue twister.

I have sprayed the smell on the other wrist.

The seventies send their regards. I like nostalgia.
Light citric, I tastily smell.
Geranium fortunately isn't contained much, I don't like this one.
Very light mint smells wonderfully next to the spices.

I very much like the move of cedar mated with slight rose smell and lavender.
A quite soft sweet one puts herself to this, not to many and not too little.

The lovely base then reaches me.
Smokily, resinous but also again quite, quite discreet, the little Orient.

I would describe durability and Sillage as mediocre. I haven't sprayed intensely. I must thriftily handle him.

It isn't the smell to be able to carry him only for men since I am a Mrs. and very happy.

Greeting and kiss to Hamburg!

12/25/2020

8Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 2

Skipping The Club...

Ho Hang opens with a slightly sharp nose tingling lemon and bitter orange tandem, with supporting basil spice before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart geranium derived sweaty lemon infused rosewood takes the fore, with the basil support remaining, adding a touch of oakmoss and aromatic patchouli to the mix. During the late dry-down as the geranium and basil vacate, the composition shifts gears, turning into a slightly powdery vanilla driven affair, with just a touch of benzoin derived sweetness and mild cedar wood support through the finish. Projection is average, as is longevity at around 8 hours on skin.

Ho Hang Club was a "like" but not "love" for me, so when I blind bought the earlier released Ho Hang (sans Club) I didn't know what to expect. Would it be similar to Ho Hang Club? The answer thankfully is "no." In truth, Ho Hang is a far superior composition. The sweaty lemon accord in the heart is the defining aspect of the perfume, reminding me immediately of the same accord found in YSL pour Homme which was also released in the early 70s, just prior to Ho Hang... Once I found out one of the perfumers behind this marvel was Raymond Chaillan the comparison made perfect sense, as Chaillan (also behind greats like Monsieur Carven, Givenchy III, Opium and so many others) was the nose behind YSL pour Homme as well. The least appealing part of the composition's development is the rather bland woody-vanilla finish, but it certainly smells good, and considering the invigorating open and sublime middle any minor gripes can easily be forgiven. The bottom line is the approximately $300 per 100ml bottle on the aftermarket Ho Hang may not be the finest perfume created by Mr. Chaillon, but it runs with the best of them, earning an "excellent" 4 stars out of 5 rating and a strong recommendation to lovers of 70s compositions like YSL pour Homme.

11/24/2012

10Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Yatagan
415 Reviews

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Yatagan

Top Review 42

Goodbye, Ho Hang

Most of the time, I hardly shed a tear for discontinued perfumes. Many are merely short-term products for the mass market, quickly composed, quickly marketed, and quickly forgotten. Others belong to the overly praised, expensive niche fragrances and luxury lines from well-known manufacturers, which are not really worth their price. I predict a similarly short lifespan for this one, as its market must constantly be fueled by olfactory replenishment, which can only happen if a scent from the previous year (or years) is pushed out of the perfume shelves. Of course, there are exceptions, for example, when fragrances are heavily reformulated due to allergenic ingredients or completely removed from the market, even though they had and still have a right to exist.

Ho Hang is one of those exceptions. When I first purchased and used the fragrance, it was (seemingly) an impulse buy. A small, unassuming perfumery in my relatively large city had it in stock. I had previously seen it in a duty-free advertisement on the plane, and I liked the simple design of the bottle and the originality of the packaging. The saleswoman in this perfumery, who is also the owner and still stands behind the sales counters despite being of retirement age, has long attained cult status in my city. It is said that she can accurately name a customer's fragrance preferences based on their appearance and a brief sales conversation, providing targeted advice accordingly. I’ll leave it open whether that always happens legitimately, but one is certainly well advised there. And so, many years ago, I purchased my first bottle of Balenciaga Ho Hang. The citrusy opening perfectly blends with the strong woody notes and the soft base. Somehow, everything is connected, as if it were made for each other. The sillage is pleasant, not intrusive, and the longevity for a rather lighter fragrance is very good.

Since that memorable day in the little perfumery, I have felt that I cannot be without this scent. Although I wear it rather rarely, it is there, relatively far back in my closet, so I can always pull it out and apply it when needed.

One can imagine how horrified I was when I eventually realized that the fragrance was a discontinued model. It appeared less and less frequently in stores, and eventually also online or in the offerings of the relevant auction website. The prices also began to rise.

Now I have pushed my last bottle even further back in the closet. It is darker there (perhaps, yes hopefully also cooler), and I cannot access it as often. So it will probably last a very, very long time. I push the terrible end out of my mind...

09/16/2012

10Scent

Medusa00
842 Reviews

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Medusa00

Very helpful Review 28

For Lords only? Never! For Ladies too!

I had the great luck to sniff a vintage and at first I didn't even know that Ho Hang was launched as a men's fragrance. My snakes stood straight up from my head, the fangs were dripping! What a chypre! Elegant, cool, woody, all the conifers from Cyprus are throwing cones. However, we have the great reference work: parfumo. A men's fragrance? How is that possible?
Nothing here screams for a hairy male chest or long sideburns from the early 1970s. This is a fine scent, fresh, slightly minty, androgynous.
Dandy or Marlene Dietrich in a tuxedo. Did you know she was bisexual? Well, a little bi never hurts.
They have omitted the moss, but it is definitely there! A light sweetness flits by like a bon vivant in the 1920s with a chainsaw on his head and gaiters over his shoes. Ah, I got it, it's gaiters Colombo from "Some Like It Hot!"
This scent is bi! But, if I were free and under 45 again, I would drag any man wearing it anywhere. A great gift for my husband and me. Christmas is also in 3 months.

More reviews

Statements

25 short views on the fragrance

Eggi37

6 months ago

7.5Scent 6Longevity 5Sillage

Broad-shouldered macho?
More of an introverted, well-groomed unisex cologne
Floral-soapy citrus & fresh mint
Rounded off with dark-soft resins

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Theris

4 months ago

8Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

Citrus lights
In Cologne style
Flooded with mint green
In floral, light care
A gap emerges
With orange resin content

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SchatzSucher

1 year ago

10Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

An incredibly beautiful blend of fresh citrus fruits, mint green, floral notes, and noble woods in a soft confluence....

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Floyd

4 years ago

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

1971
Paisleygonie
Plateauchuly
Neil Diamond Flanillehemden
Chirpy Chirpy Bergamotten
Moss sweet resin
George Harrison

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Salva

5 years ago

8.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Wow, this is great!
HoHang, a fantastic find!
Fresh-Spicy, Woody makes the blood boil!
Noble, Stylish, Confident
For the man of the world

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Ergoproxy

6 months ago

8.5Scent 7Longevity 5Sillage

Classic gentleman's fragrance. Citrusy-green opening, dry rosewood, drifting into earthy, unsweetened resinous warmth.

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Gandix

5 years ago

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

What an understatement this scent is
Quiet, subtle, stylish
Green, without being mossy
Chypre notes
Soft resinous base
For men,..

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Gold

5 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Harmonious, subtle citrus, understated elegance, gender - neutral, wearable all day. The base is dreamy. What a shame that....

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Yatagan

7 years ago

10Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

A titan of men's fragrance history: bergamot opening, hesperidic notes, mint, wood, chypre accord, resinous base notes: man, this is how you should smell!

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