I have never reviewed an embassy before, but whenever you get such a good service I think that…read morepositive feedback is necessary. When I usually require consular services I visit the consulate/embassy in person, but as there is no Vietnam embassy in Scotland I had no other option but to apply by post. I have heard many horror stories about passports getting lost en route, regardless of the special registered delivery service. Sure, this is insured (up to £500), but that wouldn't do much to save the time lost getting a new passport and reapplying for a visa. Needless to say I was a little anxious. I emailed the embassy who sent me some very clear and concise instructions about how to apply via the post. Each response from the Vietnam embassy was helpful and warm. The normal single-entry visa costs £55, express costs a little more, next day delivery is £75. On top of that you have to pay a passport handling service of £8. To reduce anxiety I requested next day delivery, so included a cheque of £83. This is a little expensive, but it gave me peace of mind. The service was efficient as described. I sent my visa on Monday via special recorded delivery, it arrived the next day, it was sent back the next day and arrived today. I was provided with a tracking number as soon as it was sent.

Notting Hill is a London district which belong to The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea…read more(RBKC). It's famous for its annual Caribbean Carnival in August and second hand + antique Portobello Road Market. District streets are large and enough spacious! Buildings look simple but shops are nice, interesting and have beautiful colours + designs! There are some good cafés and restaurants to check too. Well! Notting Hill is a nice quiet place from where you can go to Hyde and Holland Parks! We found it practical.

While in London, we stayed in Kensington. I would definitely recommend this area to fellow…read moretravelers - there are a ton of good bars & restaurants, plenty of grocery stores, plus multiple Tube stations so that you can get by fine without need of a car. It seems quieter and less hectic than other areas of the city, and the added bonus is access to great parks including Hyde!

Constructed between 1974 and 1982, the Thames Barrier enables the city of London to keep the Thames…read morefrom flooding the city. And that people, is a good thing! The visit includes a 22 acre park and you can see some of the structure from the inside along with information about the water itself and some of the species that live in the water. The complex is in London itself but not anywhere downtown so you'll have to get there via a taxi or possibly the tube although I'm not 100% sure if it goes all the way out there - I visited this with my middle school years ago. It was fun and definitely something different that most tourists overlook.

The museum was ok but it was quit small, but did teach you valuable information about the Thames…read moreBarrier and why it was built. It's good for children really there are interactive games to play which are on the walls and there are a lot of different buttons to press which kept me going for ages. It did not take long to get there but it is not very well sign posted. It did not take long to get round about 30mins, but there was a film which we watched which was about the building of the barrier.

This is one of the sites in London that I visit frequently lately, due to my research. It is open…read moreto the public. We didn't stay long to witness a court hearing / in action.  It's known as the Law Courts locally. This Grade I  listed building is in Westminster, housing the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. (The Central Criminal Court, known as Old Bailey is next to the Royal Exchange.)  Before 1875' courts were housed in Westminster Hall' Lincoln's Inn, and a few other buildings around London. When it was decided to have a centralized court, Parliament paid £1'453'000 for the 7.5-acre site. Reported that 4'175 people lived in 450 houses had to be moved. George E. Street (1824-81) was appointed in 1868 as the sole architect, building began five years later, and Queen Victoria opened it on December 4th 1882.

Really intersting to see and learn the history!…read more You should take the time to see this place when your in town!

I have written three times for info on Verona Venice and Bologna with no reply. I have phoned…read moreoften, but always busy or get passed around with no one picking up

Great Italian tourist information centre. Really helpful to plan your holidays with a friendly…read morestaff. For all you need to know about where to stay, place to go, things to see and do. http://www.youtube.com/user/italiantour

There's so much to do in London!…read more We spent a couple of days here and mostly walked around and took the bus and train station around London. We went to a lovely Tea spot for a Spot of tea. We also walked around the area near Buckingham Palace. We didn't get to go in since we were there during the month after the queens death. But we got to walk around the common grounds, which was really cool!

Had to scratch my head on some of the raving reviews about the food and overall essence of London…read more The distance between most of the historic landmarks were too spread out and hard on my old feet - a tourist trap for sure. Most of the flights to Europe usually start at the Heathrow airport in central London and is the busiest in the United Kingdom. Our flight from Ft Lauderdale to London was a long painful nine hours and the airport was crazy packed. Upon arrival, we hailed a cab, well actually ordered one thru a phone app. A classic English black car called a Hackney Carriage arrived to take us to our boutique hotel. Had to get used to the cockney accents. We were warned by many about the "pick pockets" in the tourist rich areas and our group almost became a victim, but some others were not that lucky. After that, my head stayed on a swivel for the rest of our trip. Strangely, none of the police carry guns as an ultra liberal policy that lets the public think that the police are merely citizens in uniform. Not sure if this strategy is working due to the sounds of constant police car sirens echoing the entire time, especially around Big Ben. Also got stuck in the center of a massive LGBTQ protest. Two fun activities in London that I highly recommend as a tourist are shopping on Carnaby Street in SOHO, the London Eye ferris wheel and a cruise on the Thames River. If you're going on this cruise bring a jacket. Now a little about the food issue. London food was very bland with 'fish & chips' at the centerpoint of every menu amongst a few other English dishes. Took a guided tour of the old English pubs which was not expensive with a few notable craft beers. Decent time in London with friends viewing the detailed architecture, but other than that, the city itself is very overrated and would hesitate to return.

This is a tiny embassy and looks like the whole show is run by one or 2 people, but they are super…read moreefficient and very obliging. For business reasons we apply for our Schengen visa from here. The whole procedure is very quick as they give you an appointment & stick to it. So it's in and out in 15 minutes. If they have your finger prints on file from a previous application, the process is even faster. And the great plus point is that you can keep your passport with view while they process your visa and they call you for a 5 minute visit to stamp on your visa once it is ready. However, you should note that they only issue Schengen visas for up to 3 months earlier than your UK visa expires. The only faster visa processing I have had in London was strangely at the Egyptian consulate (which took forever when I applied in India and was excruciatingly painful every time we had to visit the Mogamma when living in Cairo) #LiveLifeLikeLDN

How can one be a fan of the Home Office Immigration & Nationality Directorate, you might ask?…read more Well, accustomed to mediocre and sluggish service when it comes to the public sector, I was pleasantly surprised by the efficient, helpful, and friendly service I received on a recent visit. Anticipating my afternoon being whittled away in a waiting room somewhere in Croydon, I came prepared with a plethora of reading materials from which to choose. However, none of this was needed. I arrived and went through the security check after a friendly and helpful exchange with the guards. I immediately walked up to a reception window and received further instructions on where to go by a receptionist. Another security guard in front of the stairwell greeted me charmingly and provided even further information on how to find my way within the building. I found where I needed to be with ease and sat down to wait. Just as I got out a book to read, my number was called, and I went to speak with an agent. This meeting proceeded seamlessly, and I returned to the waiting area to wait for results. I overheard a couple people complaining about a wait, and took out a book for what I assumed was surely the wait time I anticipated. But to my delight, my number was again called in less than 10 minutes. I spoke to another smiling agent, received some paperwork, and was told I could go on my way. I wonder how much my pleasant experience was due to racial differences (i.e., the difference between being an 'expat' and an 'immigrant', with Western, native-English speakers given undue respect in comparison to 'others'), but I nevertheless had a much more pleasant experience than I was anticipating. That said, I still haven't heard back from the government about my visa.