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Samantha Coomber
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, South Vietnam, Vietnam
Member Since: 8 January 2001
Professional Associations
Travelwriters.com
Introduction
Samantha Coomber is a British travel industry professional and freelance travel and lifestyle writer/ author, originally from London, UK, now based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She worked for 14 years in the UK-based Travel Industry, with positions ranging from holiday representative for UK tour operators in Europe, to sales and marketing executive roles in London for upscale Australasian tour operators. Since leaving the UK twelve years ago, she has spent three years in Sydney, Australia and more than nine years living, working and travelling in Vietnam. Her writing credits include numerous articles in international publications,including National Geographic Traveler, Travel+Leisure, DestinAsian, and Asia Spa magazines, in-flight magazines such as Qantas, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Philippines, Jetstar, DragonAir and Tiger Airways, and The Australian, Vietnam Economic Times and Wall Street Journal Asia newspapers.
Samantha is author of Insight Pocket City Guidebook to Hanoi and Northern Vietnam and co-author of Insight Smart Guide to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, both published worldwide. She has researched, updated and co-written one Rough Guides Vietnam, two Rough Guides South-east Asia (Vietnam), Insight Vietnam, Insight Pocket Vietnam and Fodor's Australia travel guidebooks, Globalista travel website (Vietnam, plus regularly updates / edits LUXE City Guides Ho Chi Minh City. Samantha also contributed five articles in travel compilation book, "To Vietnam With Love" (ThingsAsian Press), which won a Silver Award at the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards' Travel Guides.
Headhunted in 2002 by the Tourism Department of the Vietnamese Government, Samantha helped set-up and launch a monthly magazine for ex-patriates and tourists, based in Hanoi. For over three years, she was employed as chief writer / co-editor on Vietnam Discovery until going freelance in 2006, first in Hanoi and then Ho Chi Minh City.
Bali is a back-up niche subject; Samantha has visited here many times, including lengthy working holidays in recent years, resulting in several Bali articles for various publications.
As well as commissions from worldwide publications, Samantha does freelance writing / editing work for Vietnam-based international and local organizations, creating advertorials, press releases, brochures and website content, as well as contribute articles to local publications.
Experience & Expertise
Samantha has been a bold and passionate traveller for years, travelling extensively across Europe and Asia. She has visited 28 countries and worked in six; her speciality interest is South-east Asia. With a near-on decade based in Vietnam, she is now a leading authority on Vietnam in her field of travel and lifestyle. She has travelled extensively and solo on-off for a total of 15 months throughout Vietnam; sometimes off the beaten track and where few foreigners venture. In her capacity as guidebook writer, magazine co-editor and ex-pat freelance writer, she has also travelled around Vietnam on press / fam trips researching new luxury and exclusive resorts, hotels, boat cruises and spas. Samantha has updated and rewritten several travel guidebooks on Vietnam and is author of two first edition guidebooks. With her work for Hanoi-based Vietnam Discovery magazine, Samantha was the first and only foreigner to be employed full-time by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the governmental department of tourism. This was also the first-ever English language magazine officially published by the VNAT. Armed with a broad and expanding knowledge of the Asia spa industry, in 2007, Samantha was personally invited to be a judge for Asia Spa magazines’ AsiaSpa Awards 2007; asked again in 2008, this judging role was declined due to other work commitments. Samantha also has a great knowledge of Bali, ranging from culture and traditions to the best spas and shopping, gleaned from numerous trips and intense research and fact finding for writing assignments. Along with writing and editing expertise covering a number of mediums, plus marketing and training experience, Samantha offers a diverse range of skills and flair.
Publishing Credentials
TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS: Insight Pocket Guide to Hanoi and Northern Vietnam, Insight Smart Guide to Hanoi and HCMC, Insight Vietnam, Insight Pocket Guide to Vietnam, Fodor's Australia, LUXE City Guides Hanoi + HCMC, Rough Guides Vietnam, Rough Guides South-east Asia (Vietnam), Body and Soul Escapes (UK; compilation book), To Asia with Love (US; compilation book), To Vietnam with Love (US; compilation book), Traveller's Tales from Heaven and Hell (UK; compilation book), Rest+Relax Vietnam (Vietnam; directory), Shopping Vietnam (Vietnam; directory). NEWSPAPERS: Wall Street Journal Asia (Asia Pacific), The Australian Newspaper (Australia), Vietnam Economic Times (Vietnam). MAGAZINES: DestinAsian (Asia Pacific), Travel+Leisure (Asia Pacific), National Geographic Traveler (Worldwide), Spa Asia (Asia Pacific), Asia Spa (Asia Pacific), Homespa (Canada), Asia Pacific Tropical Homes (Asia Pacific), Destination of the World News (Worldwide), Holiday Asia (Asia-Pacific), She And More (New Zealand), Australian Traveller (Australia), Vietnam Discovery (Vietnam), Saigon Inside Out (Vietnam), Saigon City Life (Vietnam), Deluxe Properties (Vietnam). IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINES: Air Canada EnRoute, Tiger Airways, Tiger Tales, Cathay Pacific, Cargo Clan, The Club + Discovery, Qantas The Australian Way, Philippines Mabuhay, JetStar Asia, Turbojet Horison, Dragonair Silkroad, Bangkok Airways Fah Thai. WEBSITES: www.Globalista.com (UK-based), www.I-escape.com (UK-based), www.ThingsAsian.com (US-based/ www.thingsasian.com/contributor/scoomber), www.vietnamadventures.com (US-based).
Awards Received
BA (Honours) degree in Humanities, majoring in Urban and Human geography (UK). Placed fourth out of 3,500 entrants in a nationwide UK competition to be included in the travel compilation book, "Travellers Tales from Heaven and Hell"(1997). Certificate of Merit (Highly Commended) in Third Annual Wellspring Women Writers' Competition 2000 (Australia)- Article published in "From the Circle of Women" volume 3, 2001.
Clips & Samples (View All 19)
Spa Sessions Asia , Fah Thai Bangkok Airways
After Hours, Ho Chi Minh City, Wall Street Journal Asia
Ho Chi Minh City: Once was Saigon, Qantas The Australian Way
Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa Review, I-escape.com
