1. Overview

Myanmar, also known as Burma and officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, is a country in Southeast Asia. The Federal Republic of Myanmar is bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos, and Thailand. With a turbulent history, Myanmar’s culture has been influenced by many great civilizations, which is clearly reflected in its traditional practices, architecture, and cuisine.

Myanmar is a country with mysterious, ancient beauty that attracts international tourists. Myanmar tourism owns ancient religious relics with extremely unique and sophisticated architecture. In addition to the ancient beauty, Myanmar tourism also attracts tourists with its unspoiled, peaceful nature, indigenous culture, unique festivals, rich cuisine, attractive activities, etc.

2. How to get to Myanmar?

Airplanes are the means of transportation from Vietnam to Myanmar. There are many airlines that offer flights to Myanmar (landing at major airports in Yangon or Mandalay) for about 140 USD – 640 USD / round-trip ticket. Flights from Vietnam to Myanmar usually do not have a direct route but have to transit through 1–2 sectors. Flight time ranges from 5 hours to 15 hours, depending on the airline.

The only direct flights from Vietnam to Myanmar are operated by Vietnam Airlines:

  • The Hanoi – Yangon route costs about 174 USD with a frequency of 1 flight/day and a flight time of 1 hour and 30 minutes. 
  • The flight route Ho Chi Minh City – Yangon has fares starting at 160 USD with a frequency of 1 flight/day and a flight time of 2 hour and 20 minutes.

Note: 

  • This is a one-way fare; economy class is calculated at the moment.
  • The ticket prices above do not include taxes.

3. How to travel in Myanmar

You can easily travel between major cities by bus. Bus fares range from 21.3 USD to 46.8 USD/person/trip depending on the itinerary.

4. Traveling to Myanmar Do You Need a Visa?

All foreign nationals require a visa to enter Myanmar unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, and Laos; Visa granted for 14 days; free travel.

5. The best time to travel to Myanmar

You can travel to Myanmar all year round, but the ideal time to visit is from October to February, when the weather here has the least rain, the mildest temperature, and the climate is cool.

However, when traveling in the hot season, transportation tickets and accommodations will be cheaper. Besides, you can also experience some major events and festivals of the country, such as Shwedagon Pagoda Festival (early March), Thingyan (Myanmar New Year, mid-April), Kasone Full Moon Day, or Buddha’s Birthday (Buddhist Day), mid-April to early May) and the Rice Donation Ceremony (mid-September).

6. Popular Destinations in Yangon

6.1. Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda is located in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. Shwedagon Pagoda was built by King Anawrahta in the 11th century. Shwedagon Pagoda is more than 2500 years old and is a famous place for both locals and international tourists.

This temple is hiding four religious treasures: a piece of Buddha’s robe, the staff of Buddha Gou Luu Ton, the hair of Buddha Shakyamuni, and the water filter of Buddha Gou Na Ham.

You will see the massive and splendid architecture studded with 90 tons of gold and thousands of colorful diamonds and gems inside this sacred site. At the highest point of the pagoda tower is a stone lotus bud studded with a 76-carat diamond.

  • Open: 5:00 a.m – 21:00 p.m.

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6.2. Lake Inle

Inle Lake is the second-largest freshwater lake in Myanmar, located in Shan State at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level and covered by the harmonious beauty of the Shan Mountains.

To be able to fully explore the beauty of this lake, you should rent a boat around the lake, and you will visit many scenes here. The time here starts from 9 a.m until the evening and costs only about 7.1 USD per boat. Each boat can carry up to five people and has two umbrellas for rain and sun protection.

Visitors will be attracted by a series of vibrant floating markets, weaving villages of “long neck” artisans, hydroponic orchards, cat houses, and many splendid pagodas, etc.

6.3. Ancient capital Bagan

Bagan (formerly known as Pagan) is an ancient city in Myanmar, once the capital of the Pagan dynasty (existing from the 9th to the 13th centuries). It is estimated that Bagan used to have up to 2,500 Buddhist temples, shrines, towers, and monasteries, and about 2,000 temples are still preserved, showing that this was once a major Buddhist center comparable to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Bagan has always been an attractive destination, thanks to its mysterious yet rustic beauty, harmony between nature and architecture, and the two most beautiful moments of the day, sunrise and sunset. The interesting point when you come to the ancient capital is that you can rent a bicycle or a horse-drawn carriage to visit and admire all the beautiful scenes of this place.

6.4. Ngapali Beach

Ngapali is located in the Bay of Bengal, 45 minutes by plane from Yangon. With a long stretch of white sand, blue water, and romantic coconut groves, Ngapali is quickly considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, attracting many tourists.

In addition to swimming activities, visiting small fishing villages and local markets, exploring the countryside by bicycle, and sailing to amazing islands, you can also enjoy fresh seafood. Hotels here are also cheap and cost-effective.

6.5. Mingun Village

Mingun Ancient Village is one of the ancient villages on the outskirts of the ancient capital of Mandalay. The village is located on the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy River, 11 kilometers north of Mandalay city. 

Mingun Village is a tourist destination in Myanmar that is famous for both locals and international tourists. The village is located on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River with extremely beautiful natural scenery, and you will have the opportunity to experience the slow and peaceful daily life activities of the people here.

When coming to Mingun Village, you will be able to visit other famous places such as the ruins of Mingun Temple, the world’s largest bell weighing up to 90 tons, Hsinbyume Temple, etc.

6.6. Taung Kalat Monastery

Taung Kalat Monastery in Myanmar is located on the top of Mount Popa, a volcano 1518 meters above sea level. According to the concept of the Myanmar people, this is the residence of the supreme gods. Therefore, Taung Kalat is also likened to Mount Olympus in Myanmar. Perhaps that is why the monastery has a beauty that is both sacred, magical, and pure.

To get here, visitors have to climb a total of 777 steps. When overcoming this challenge, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the entire vast landscape from the top of the mountain.

Coming to Taung Kalat Monastery, you can not only admire the unique historical architecture of Myanmar but also watch the clouds floating around the temple, more especially when you explore the place of worship 37 the god Nat with tragic stories on the way to becoming a god.

  • Open: 7:30 a.m – 17:00 p.m.

7. Myanmar Cuisine

Myanmar cuisine is heavily influenced by India, China, Thailand, and Shan, so it uses a lot of spices and has a characteristic richness. Common ingredients in traditional Myanmar dishes are rice, bread, flour, fermented foods, curry powder, dried chili, etc. Some delicious dishes in Myanmar you must try: tea leaf salad, Shan style tofu noodles, mohinga, Shan rice, Myanmar milk tea, etc.

8. Some things to note when experience Myanmar tour

Myanmar is a country with a long Buddhist tradition. You pay attention to choosing modest clothes when visiting temples to show respect for the local culture.

The weather in Myanmar is warm in the morning and cold in the evening, so bring clothes with thin material that are easy to absorb sweat and prepare a scarf or warm coat in advance.

Pre-installed translation tools because not many native speakers are fluent in English. 

Pre-order a 4G SIM to easily check in during your journey or find your way when lost.

9. Conclusion

Above is all the information about tourism in Myanmar; hopefully the information that Metta Voyage shares will help you have a great trip. If you are going to travel here, contact us immediately to help you plan your trip!

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