The question every cautious visitor asks. The short answer: some shops do ask, but you should prefer a cash deposit, and reputable shops accept one.

Why shops want to hold something

A rental bike is a several-thousand-dollar asset handed to a stranger. The shop wants security against the bike not coming back - theft, abandonment, or a renter who simply vanishes. Historically that security was often the renter’s passport, because every visitor carries one and nobody abandons their identity abroad.

Why a passport is the wrong collateral

For the renter, the trade is poor. Your passport is your primary legal identity in a foreign country - you need it for hotels, banks, police checks, flights and embassy visits. Handing it to a shop for a week means every one of those transactions runs through the shop’s opening hours. A lost or misfiled passport abroad is a multi-day crisis. No rental deposit justifies that exposure.

The cash alternative

Standard Hanoi practice - and the practice here - is a cash deposit, typically 2,000,000-5,000,000 VND depending on the bike, returned in full when the bike comes back in its handover condition. It gives the shop the same security with none of your documents held. Pay the rent by cash, bank transfer or QR payment as you prefer.

What to check before handing over anything

  • The contract should state the deposit amount and the return conditions.
  • Note the bike’s existing scratches on the contract or in photos.
  • A photocopy achieves nothing for the shop; do not accept it as a substitute arrangement either.
  • If a shop insists that a passport is the only acceptable deposit, that insistence is a reason to shop elsewhere.

What the shop actually needs from your passport

Sight of it, and the number written on the contract. That is all. The shop identifies you; the deposit secures the bike; the two jobs are separate.

Nguyen Tu takes cash deposits and returns them at the end of the rental - your passport stays with you. Contact us to confirm current availability and the deposit for the bike you want.