If I have not been granted citizen identity card in Vietnam, can I rent a hotel room?

If I have not been granted citizen identity card in Vietnam, can I rent a hotel room?

In Clause 2, Article 44 of Decree No. 96/2016/ND-CP stipulating responsibilities of accommodation service providers, there are provisions:

Apart from responsibilities in Article 25 of this Decree, an accommodation service provider must:

1. Make and post the internal regulations on the guarantee of security, order, fight against social evils, and fire prevention and fighting at a noticeable and legible place.

2. Check personal identification papers of customers, including one of the following types: ID card, citizen identity card, passport, permanent resident card or temporary resident card (if customer is a foreigner), or other personal identification papers with photo issued by competent authorities of Vietnam.

If a customer fails to present his/her personal identification paper, the accommodation service provider must report to the police authority of commune/ward/district-level town or local police station after delivering accommodation to that customer.

3. Record all information of customers in monitoring book (or store information on computer) before delivering rooms to customers.

4. Report the stay of Vietnamese people or register the temporary residence of foreigners (who stay overnight or according to hours) with the police authority of commune/ward/district-level town or local police station before 23:00 PM daily. If receiving a customer after 23:00 PM, the said report must be made before 08:00 AM of the next day. The said report may be carried out under the following forms:

a) With regard to Vietnamese people, if the internet network is available, the accommodation service provider shall report to the police authority via internet; if the internet network is unavailable, the accommodation service provider may directly report at the police authority or report by call;

b) With regard to foreigners, the accommodation service provider must complete and send Declarations of temporary residence for foreigners to the police authority.

5. Check and manage personal identification papers of persons who visit customers at the accommodation service provider; record information and return such papers when they leave.

6. Retain information of customers and of persons who visit them at their rooms for at least 36 months.

7. If a customer carries weapon or combat gear, the accommodation service provider must request that customer to present the permit to use weapon or combat gear granted by the police authority or army force. If that customer fails to present his/her permit to use weapon or combat gear, the accommodation service provider must report it to the competent police authority in a timely manner.

Thus, according to the above regulations in Vietnam, when renting a room at a motel or hotel, the customers must provide identification documents such as ID card, citizen identity card, passport, permanent resident card or other personal identification papers with photo issued by competent authorities of Vietnam.

In case they do not have the above documents, they can still rent a room, but then the accommodation service provider must report to the police authority of commune/ward/district-level town or local police station in Vietnam.

Best Regards!