Renting an Apartment in Nha Trang: Contract and Deposit Rules
Before paying a deposit, get a written contract. Know that a deposit is kept by the receiver if you refuse to conclude or perform the contract. Search on Batdongsan.com.vn and Nha Tot, then have your stay declared to the ward police.
On this page
Check two points before paying a deposit. First, a housing contract must be made in writing.
Hợp đồng về nhà ở do các bên thỏa thuận và phải được lập thành văn bản
A housing contract is as agreed by the parties and must be made in writing.
Law on Housing No. 27/2023/QH15, Điều 163
Second, if the depositor refuses to conclude or perform the contract, the deposited property belongs to the deposit-receiver.
nếu bên đặt cọc từ chối việc giao kết, thực hiện hợp đồng thì tài sản đặt cọc thuộc về bên nhận đặt cọc
If the depositor refuses to conclude or perform the contract, the deposited property belongs to the deposit-receiver.
Civil Code 91/2015/QH13, Điều 328 khoản 2
Steps to rent an apartment
- Find listings. Search Batdongsan.com.vn and Nha Tot, described below.
- Check the home. Confirm the points in the checklist below.
- Agree the contract in writing. The landlord and tenant may agree the lease term, the rent and whether rent is paid periodically or in one payment.
- Pay the deposit. A deposit secures the conclusion or performance of a contract.
- Have your stay declared. Your accommodation declares it to the ward police.
Where to look for listings
Batdongsan.com.vn says renters usually want to know the rent, floor area, condition of the home, service fees, included amenities and the connection to the surrounding area. The platform page was last updated on 26/01/2024.
Batdongsan.com.vn also says photos in a listing help renters picture the home or room. Ask the agent about each point.
Nha Tot says it is a leading platform for rental listings, especially room rentals. It is a real-estate technology platform developed by Cho Tot, which was founded in 2012.
To post a listing yourself on Batdongsan.com.vn, you go to the login page and create a listing following the on-screen instructions.
Agents and brokers
Real estate brokerage covers helping the parties negotiate and sign lease and sub-lease contracts. An individual who practises as a broker must hold a broker practising certificate. A broker earns the fee or commission from the company they work for.
Ask any agent for the company name and the certificate before a viewing. Settle in writing who pays the agent, because the law fixes only where a broker’s pay comes from.
What rent to expect in Nha Trang
AffordWhere gives a one-bedroom range of VND 5,000,000 to 22,000,000 a month across Nha Trang, depending on the neighbourhood. It says its prices are second-hand rental market rates, typical for expats, and its data was last updated in January 2026. Treat the figures as a guide for negotiating, not a price list.
AffordWhere separates two contract types. First-hand contracts come straight from the landlord or housing company, and second-hand contracts are sublets that usually cost more.
| Area | 1-bedroom, second-hand | 1-bedroom, first-hand | 2-bedroom, second-hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phuoc Hai | VND 5,000,000-8,500,000 | VND 4,000,000-7,000,000 | VND 8,000,000-14,000,000 |
| Vinh Hai | VND 6,000,000-11,000,000 | VND 5,000,000-9,000,000 | VND 10,000,000-18,000,000 |
| Vinh Hoa | VND 6,800,000-12,000,000 | VND 5,500,000-10,000,000 | VND 11,000,000-19,000,000 |
| City Centre | VND 11,000,000-19,000,000 | VND 9,000,000-16,000,000 | VND 18,000,000-31,000,000 |
| Tran Phu Beach | VND 12,000,000-22,000,000 | VND 10,000,000-18,000,000 | VND 21,000,000-35,000,000 |
AffordWhere also says a deposit is usually 1-2 months and furnished serviced apartments are common for expats. If a quote sits well above the row for its area, ask whether it is a sublet. To pick an area first, see where to live in Nha Trang.
Bills the rent does not cover
Settle before signing who pays electricity and water, because the law treats them as separate prices from the rent.
Electricity
Household electricity is billed on a rising six-tier tariff. The prices in that schedule do not include value-added tax.
| Monthly use | Price per kWh |
|---|---|
| 0-50 kWh | VND 1,984 |
| 51-100 kWh | VND 2,050 |
| 101-200 kWh | VND 2,380 |
| 201-300 kWh | VND 2,998 |
| 301-400 kWh | VND 3,350 |
| 401 kWh and above | VND 3,460 |
A landlord who charges a tenant more than the regulated household price is fined VND 20,000,000-30,000,000, and must refund the excess. At each rental address, the electricity seller signs only one electricity contract, and the landlord gives the seller the tenant’s residency information.
Where the tenant is a household, the landlord signs the electricity contract directly. Each tenant household counts as one household unit.
For a lease under 12 months where the landlord cannot fully declare the number of occupants, all metered use is billed at tier 3. Where the number is declared, every 4 people count as one household unit. Ask which rule your landlord applies.
Water
In Nha Trang, a provincial decision sets the clean-water price in four levels per household per month. The price includes value-added tax and meter costs, but not the environmental fee on domestic wastewater.
| Monthly use per household | Price per m3 |
|---|---|
| First 10 m3 | VND 5,040 |
| Over 10 m3 up to 20 m3 | VND 6,930 |
| Over 20 m3 up to 30 m3 | VND 7,770 |
| Over 30 m3 | VND 10,080 |
The decision applies from the July 2019 water-bill period. Compare the table with your latest water bill, because a later decision may have changed the prices.
What to check before you sign
- Ask for proof the home is not seized (distrained) for judgment enforcement and is not under a land-recovery decision or a clearance or demolition notice.
- Check the home has electricity, water supply and drainage, and meets hygiene and safety standards, unless the parties agree otherwise.
- A leased home is not required to have a Certificate (Giấy chứng nhận).
- Check that the contract names each party with an address, describes the home, and states the rent, the payment method and the lease term.
- Photograph the condition at handover. The tenant must return the property in a similar condition to when received, except for natural wear and tear, or as agreed.
What the contract contains
A housing contract includes the parties’ names and addresses, a description of the home, the price if the contract sets one, and the payment term and method for a lease. It also states the handover time, the lease term, the rights and obligations of each side and any other agreements. It names the effective date, the signing date and carries both signatures.
A lease does not need notarisation or certification, unless the parties want it. If the parties have not agreed an effective date, the contract takes effect when signed. A lease is carried out under the Civil Code, the Housing Law and other related law.
Is this person allowed to rent you the home?
The home does not need a Certificate for a lease. The landlord must still meet the civil-law conditions for the parties to a transaction. An individual may authorise another person to carry out civil transactions, so a signer who is not the owner should hold a written authorisation. A transaction made by that representative within the scope of representation creates rights and obligations for the person represented.
If there is a dispute over ownership of the home and the tenant cannot use it stably, the tenant may end the contract and claim compensation.
Foreign tenants
The housing law clause covering lessees says a foreign individual must belong to the class of persons entitled to own housing in Vietnam. That class includes a foreign individual permitted to enter Vietnam. This is about the right to rent: such a tenant is not required to have residence registration where the housing is located. It is separate from the stay declaration below.
Viewing checklist
- Open every tap and flush the toilet, because the law expects a full water-supply and drainage system.
- Test the sockets and the meter, because electricity is a legal requirement for a leased home.
- Ask for the owner’s papers and compare the name with the person who signs.
- Photograph walls, floors, appliances and furniture with a date, since the tenant returns the property in a similar condition to when received.
- Ask what the rent includes, and who signs the electricity contract and pays water.
Deposit
A deposit is one party handing over to the other a sum of money or other valuable property for a period, to secure the conclusion or performance of a contract. If the contract is concluded and performed, the deposit is returned or deducted to perform the obligation to pay.
If the deposit-receiver refuses to conclude or perform the contract, it must return the deposit plus an amount equal to its value, unless otherwise agreed. If you refuse, the deposit stays with the receiver.
Booking deposit and rental-asset deposit
A booking deposit before signing secures the contract. A second type is the rental-asset deposit, in which the lessee hands over money or valuables for a period to secure the return of the leased property. If the property is returned, the lessee gets the deposit back after paying the rent due.
If the lessee does not return the leased property, the lessor may claim it back. If the property no longer exists to be returned, the deposit belongs to the lessor. Ask the landlord in writing which of the two deposits you are paying.
How big can a deposit be?
The cap in the Housing Law applies to a project investor taking a deposit for a sale or hire-purchase, at no more than 5% of the price. This article found no cap on a rental deposit. Treat the size as a matter to agree in the contract, and see AffordWhere for the typical range.
Moving out
The tenant returns the property in a similar condition to when received, except for natural wear and tear, or as agreed. If the value of the property has fallen from its condition when received, the lessor may claim compensation, except for natural wear and tear. The handover photos from day one are the record for both sides.
Rent changes, subletting and ending the lease
- During the agreed lease term, the lessor may not unilaterally end the contract and reclaim the housing, except in the cases the law lists.
- The lessor may end it if the lessee fails to pay the agreed rent in full for 3 months or more without an agreed reason.
- The lessor may also end it if the lessee subleases without the lessor’s consent.
- The lessor may end it if the lessee uses the home for a purpose other than the agreed one.
- The lessor may end it if the lessee breaks walls, extends, renovates or demolishes the home alone.
- The tenant may end it if the lessor does not repair severe damage, or raises the rent unreasonably or without the agreed prior notice.
- The ending party must give at least 30 days’ notice, in writing or in another form agreed in the contract, unless the parties agree otherwise.
- If the contract fixes no term, it ends 90 days after the lessor notifies the lessee of the termination.
- A tenant may sublet if the landlord agrees.
- After a renovation the tenant agrees to, the lessor may adjust the rent if the remaining lease time is one-third of the contract term or less.
If the owner sells or dies
If the owner transfers the leased home while the lease runs, the tenant may keep leasing until the term ends. The new owner continues the contract unless the parties agree otherwise.
If the owner dies, the tenant may keep leasing until the term ends, and the heir continues the contract unless the parties agree otherwise. If the tenant dies, whoever lived with them may keep leasing until the term ends, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Red flags
- No written contract, although a housing contract must be in writing.
- A signer who is not the owner and holds no authorisation.
- A sublet the landlord has not agreed to, because subletting without consent lets the lessor end the lease.
- A request to hand over your passport as a guarantee, because the UK government advises against giving it to landlords or rental shops.
- A request to pay a deposit before the written contract exists, because a refused deposit stays with the receiver.
If a dispute starts
Grassroots mediation respects the parties’ voluntary will and does not force or impose it on the parties. Disputes that infringe State interests or public interests, or violations that must be prosecuted or sanctioned, are not mediated this way. A new Law on Grassroots Mediation takes effect on 1 March 2027.
The limitation period for asking a court to resolve a contract dispute is 3 years from when the person knew or should have known their right was infringed. For the 3-year limit, the date of the infringement is the one to write down.
Register your stay
This is a separate duty from the renting right above. A foreigner staying temporarily must declare the stay through the person directly managing the accommodation, to the ward police where it is located. The accommodation must ask to see your passport and residence-related papers first.
The person who files is the accommodation owner, its legal representative or an authorised person, not the foreign guest. An electronic declaration is filed as soon as the foreigner arrives at the accommodation. On a paper form, the accommodation delivers the form to the local police within 12 hours of arrival. The deadline is 24 hours in remote areas.
A foreigner who changes the place of temporary residence declares again. A foreigner who fails to hand over the passport or residence papers is fined under the same clause as an accommodation that does not declare 1 to 3 foreign guests.
The steps are in temporary residence registration in Nha Trang.
Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Panorama Nha Trang apartment tower on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by @Ty Tiy (Ty), @iFruit iFruit.
Step by step
- Find listingsSearch Batdongsan.com.vn and Nha Tot; renters typically want rent, floor area, condition, service fees and amenities stated.
- Check the homeCheck it is not distrained and not under a land-recovery decision, and that it has electricity, water supply and drainage.
- Agree the contract in writingAgree the term, the rent and how it is paid, and put it in writing.
- Pay the depositA deposit secures the conclusion or performance of the contract.
- Declare your stayThe accommodation declares your stay to the ward police, after you show your passport and residence papers.
Not confirmed: Rent ranges come from one aggregator dataset (January 2026), not from listings checked on the day. The Khanh Hoa water tariff is from a 2019 decision that a later decision may have replaced. Facebook groups were not checked as a listing channel.
Common questions
Does a rental contract have to be in writing?
A housing contract is as agreed by the parties and must be made in writing.
Do I lose my deposit if I back out?
If the depositor refuses to conclude or perform the contract, the deposited property belongs to the deposit-receiver.
What if the landlord backs out?
The deposit-receiver must return the deposited property plus an amount equal to its value, unless otherwise agreed.
How much notice do I give to end a lease?
The party unilaterally terminating must notify the other at least 30 days in advance, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Can I sublet my rented apartment?
A tenant may sublet if the landlord agrees.
Does a lease have to be notarised?
Notarisation or certification of a lease is not required, unless the parties want it.
How much is a one-bedroom in Nha Trang?
AffordWhere gives VND 5,000,000 to 22,000,000 a month across Nha Trang, depending on the neighbourhood.
How big is the deposit?
AffordWhere says a deposit is usually 1-2 months.
Can my landlord charge more than the regulated electricity price?
A landlord who charges more than the regulated price is fined VND 20,000,000-30,000,000 and must refund the excess.
What happens to my lease if the owner sells the home?
The tenant may keep leasing until the term ends, and the new owner continues the contract unless the parties agree otherwise.
Do I register with the police as a tenant?
A foreigner staying temporarily must declare the stay through the person managing the accommodation.
Read next
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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