Vietnam's first motorbike store, online

In 2017, the concept of selling motorbikes online in Vietnam was unheard of.

The traditional process involved visiting a shop, sitting on the bike, haggling over the price, and riding it home. However, armed with a hunch, a website, and a partnership with a Honda dealer operating five shops, I decided to challenge the status quo.

Setting up the online store was the easy part; the real work lay in building the ecosystem around it. This involved managing social media, the website, Google Places, in-store Wi-Fi, digital posters, and promotional days on various marketplaces. The goal was to streamline the customer journey: see a bike on your phone during lunch, and sit on it by four o’clock.

The first bike sold within two weeks. On promotion days, a single platform generated about two billion đồng. By the end of the year, sales reached a trillion đồng—a roughly 33% increase from the previous year. Additionally, three of the five shops were named to Honda Vietnam’s Top HEAD list.

Initially, I assumed the biggest challenge would be convincing people to buy without visiting the shop. I was wrong. People still wanted to come in, touch the bike, and ask questions. The internet didn’t replace the physical experience; it simply gave them a reason to visit.

etween campaigns, we participated in Honda’s CSR days in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, working alongside local authorities and youth unions. It was different work, but the same business.

A dealer is more than just a place to buy a motorbike; it’s a neighbor.

The channel changed. The customer didn’t.