Do hotels or rentals in Nha Trang keep your passport as a deposit, and can you leave cash instead?

In September 2026 an apartment tenant in Nha Trang said that after living there without issues for a month and a half, the realtor asked for their passport, citing some errors that needed fixing and promising to return it the next morning. The tenant found the request suspicious. Before handing over your passport, it makes sense to ask why it is needed and whether a copy would do.

According to a traveler in July 2026, if your passport has been left as a deposit at your accommodation, you need to collect it before visiting a resort, where the document may be required. So before day trips around the area, arrange with the hosts in advance to get your passport back.

In June 2026 travelers who had just checked into accommodation in Nha Trang asked whether it was normal that their passport had been taken as a deposit and whether they would get it back. Other participants replied the same day that they had declined to leave their passports: the hosts took a US$30 deposit instead, issued a receipt and promised to return the money at checkout. So offering a cash deposit instead of your document is an option.