Style Motorbikes – Over 10 Years & Going Strong

Way back in 2014, in a small shop in the old quarter of Hanoi, was a Thanh & Cuong with a couple of mechanics. A few old used motorbikes for sale for just a few hundred dollars but an idea that would eventually lead to 8 shops across 2 countries and hundreds of bikes being rented between these. 

Back in those days, Vietnam wasn’t too high on the list of most backpackers, riding a back through the country was definitely not that well known. Fast forward to 2025 and riding a bike through Vietnam has made its way onto people’s bucket lists and become a must do when visiting South East Asia.

How It Started

Originally there weren’t too many options. There was no shop with more than 1 location in Vietnam so you couldn’t rent bikes. The bikes available were all the cheaper models as the typical travellers coming to Vietnam didn’t want to spend a large amount of money on bikes. 

So you brought your used bike, headed out across the country and sold it at the end to another backpacker. No certainty about how much you would get, or where you will be selling but off you go on your adventure. The cheaper bikes meaning you often had some little breakdown on the way, so you ring up for help getting it fixed, then back on the road. 

New Bikes

In 2015 we got our first new bikes in, Detech Wins. These were the backpack bike of choice back then. Affordable but certainly not a Honda. Even brand new these could have some issues. But then your new bike costs just $550 so you can’t be too surprised. 

This would be the first step towards being able to offer better bikes and leaving the cheap used models behind. 

Slowly customers were starting to come to Vietnam to ride bikes, instead of deciding this when they were in the country. This meant people wanted quality and were willing to pay for it.

The HCMC Shop

In 2016 we opened our second shop, and most importantly this meant we could start offering one way rentals up and down the country. No more questions about how and where to get rid of your bike at the end. Just return the bike at the other shop and you are down. 

Shortly after the new Honda joined the fleet. The Honda XR 150cc and the Honda Wave 110cc. You could now rent a quality bike, with a fixed price, no more cheap used backpacker bikes risking breakdowns on the way. 

Hoi an, Hue & the Hai Van Pass

The next step was opening up in the middle of the country, which we did in 2018. Top Gear started the idea for many people of riding a bike in Vietnam back in 2008. In particular they made the Hai Van Pass popular. Now we could offer this famous stretch to customers in just 1 day. 

We also could now continue to service the bike when people are renting up and down the country with our own shops in Hoi An and Hue to make sure the service we provided was the best. 

Covid – Closing and Re-opening

Covid hit tourism hard, and we were no exception. We closed for 2 years and just had to wait for the world to get back to normal. 

This did allow us to prepare for when this happened, by building and opening our shop in Ha Giang. This brought us up to 5 shops in Vietnam and most importantly allowed us to start to offer the Ha Giang Loop. 

Big Bikes

In 2023 we moved into the adventure bikes market with the Honda CB500X and the Kawasaki Versys 300. Over covid the popularity of biking in Vietnam exploded as anyone was stuck at home watching videos of where they wanted to go. Ha Giang in particular got very famous. 

With the popularity came dedicated bikers who wanted the best bikes and were willing to pay for it. This allowed us to start offering adventure bikes so those who wanted to could explore Vietnam on the best bikes.

Laos

In 2025 we managed to expand outside of Vietnam, with 3 new shops in Laos. Pakse, Luang Prabang and Vientiane means we can bring the same service to Laos. The first shop in Laos with multiple locations and offering one way rentals across the country. 

Over the years we have seen the riding through Vietnam mean customers get to see a completely different side of the country. This brings them back again and again, as well as recommending it their friends. We hope that we can bring this same experience and joy to exploring Laos. 

The Future

Who knows what the future will hold for Style Motorbikes, where can we go next, Cambodia? Thailand? As we keep getting happy customers loving their trips through South East Asia then we want to continue offering them more places to go and more things to see. 

The possibilities are endless.