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Prepare
Visa
Myanmar requires all foreign visitors, including those from Southeast Asia, to have a visa issued by the Myanmar Embassy or Consulate and valid for entry and exit before arriving.
You can get a visa in Vietnam at the Myanmar Embassy in Hanoi and the Myanmar Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
Note: You should apply for a visa at least 10 days before departure to avoid Myanmar holidays or the person signing the document is not present in Vietnam.
To apply for a visa, you need: Passport valid for more than 6 months from the date of departure from Myanmar, 2 4x6 photos, tourist visa fee.
- Exchange money before leaving. If you just arrived in Myanmar, you should not exchange at the airport (the exchange rate is quite low); you should not exchange with mobile money changers (you can easily lose them). You should bring USD that is intact or new.
- You should buy Southeast Asia in a Shoes string and Myanmar Lonely Planet to plan a detailed exploration itinerary.
Kaba Aye Pagoda.
Kuthodaw Paya Pagoda.
Move
Vietnam – Myanmar
There are two main routes from Vietnam to Myanmar, one is by air from Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi - Yangon/Mandalay. The other is by road from Thailand (From Vietnam to Thailand by plane). Airfares range from 3-5 million VND depending on the airline. If you are lucky enough to find a cheap ticket, the cost will be even lower.
Things you should do at the airport when you arrive
Do not carry more than 2,000 USD and must declarenewspaperThe amount of foreign currency you take out of Myanmar must not exceed the amount of foreign currency you brought in.
Clearly declare if you bring jewelry, electronics, or cameras.
You are only allowed to bring 200 cigarettes, one bottle of alcohol (1 liter) and one bottle of perfume (0.5 liter) into Myanmar.
Pay 10 USD airport tax.
You are not allowed to take Kyat out of the country.
All products you purchase in Myanmar will be confiscated at the airport without a receipt.
Getting around in Myanmar
The main means of transport in major cities of Myanmar are taxis for tourists and buses for locals. Besides, there are also rickshaws, vans, trains...
Notes when in Myanmar
- Take off your shoes, sandals and socks when visiting temples and areas where shoes are not allowed.
- When giving money, gifts or anything to others, you should give it with your right hand or with both hands to show politeness.
- You should wear pants that are longer than the knee and shirts with sleeves, not revealing the chest, stomach, or back when visiting temples in Myanmar.
- Avoid filming and taking pictures in sensitive places. If asked to delete, delete to avoid trouble.
- Show your passport when buying a GMS sim card. These sim cards cost 25-30 USD/card at hotels or shopping malls but you have to. If you want to call abroad, you have to ask the hotel for the price.
Shwegugyi Pagoda.
Burma Temple.
Ananda Temple.
Time to Myanmar
The best time to visit is from November to February because the air is cool, pleasant, and there is little rain.
The minimum time for the trip is 4 days. But to temporarily explore all the outstanding features of this country, you need at least 10 - 14 days.
Myanmar specialties
Myanmar food is quite delicious and tasty. Some dishes you should not miss when coming here are mohinga noodle soup, salad, curry, cakes, and bamboo shoots. The easiest and cheapest dish to eat is grilled skewers, sold in big cities and small towns.
Accommodation
Yangoon: Golden Smile Inn, Okinawa Guest House, Tokyo Guest House, YMCA Yangon.
Inle Lake: Hotels and resorts on the lake are quite expensive, backpackers often return to Nyaungshwe town near the lake with room rates from only 5-8 USD like Joy Hotel Guesthouse.
Bago: You should not stay overnight at the resort or hotel here, but should return to Kim Pun, stay in a motel for 5-8 USD and take the early bus back to Bago the next day.
Bagan: May Kha Lar GH (downtown area) price 14 USD/night.
Mandalay: Royal GH price 18 USD/night.
Note when arriving at the hotel do not let taxi drivers in with you because they will overcharge. Best to say you have a friend who has stayed here and recommend them.
Places to visit
We will temporarily divide the Myanmar tour into 5 large clusters: Yangoon, Bagan, Mandalay.
1. Yangon: 2 - 3 days
Sule Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
In Yangon, there are many pagodas such as Sule Pagoda where you can see the whole city and take souvenir photos; Kaba Aye Pagoda, also known as the world of peace, Buddha Tooth Relic Pagoda... but the most famous is Shwedagon - Golden Pagoda, the 2,500-year-old pagoda is the most worth visiting place.
Shwedagon Pagoda is located on a small hill, the stupa is covered in gold. Inside the pagoda, there are hundreds of Buddha statues and a shrine for worship. One of the interesting corners is the place to "fan Buddha", when people have something bothering or angry, they just need to pull the string to make the fan on the head of the Buddha statue flutter, dispelling all the anger in life.
The best time to visit Shwedagon is in the afternoon, when the sun sets and the stupa remains unchanged, glowing a brilliant golden color. The museum on display right in the temple grounds, where you can see up close the pennant flag studded with diamonds, rubies, gold rings… is also a place not to be missed.
Note:
- When visiting, there will be some people or monks who will come to talk to you and ask for tips. You need to be strict so they don't ask for them.
- You can move around the city by bus (fare 200 kyat) or truck (fare 200 kyat). You can go anywhere on the map as long as you ask the bus conductors and drivers before getting on (they can all speak basic English).
2. Bagan – 3 days
Peaceful local markets....
...And Myanmar's skewers are always attractive to tourists.
From Yangon you can take a bus to Bagan (departure at 15:00), price 20 – 25 USD (Ye Ther Aung company).
There are about 4,000 pagodas in Bangan. Famous pagodas are Shwezigon (built in the 11th century) in Nyang U, Ananda (built in the 11th century) and Thatbyinnyu (built in the 12th century), Shwegugyi (built in the 11th century) and Shwesandaw (built in the 11th century) – a beautiful place to watch the sunset in Old Baga.
Other activities you should not miss in Bagan include: visiting lacquer workshops; going to the local market; having dinner at Nanda restaurant (7-10 USD) to watch string puppet shows; going to Popa peak, an ancient volcano 40km from the center of Bagan - the birthplace of the Nats who bless the people of Myanmar.
The most interesting way to conquer Bangan is to rent a bicycle (1,500 - 2,000 kyat/day) to go around the places from Old Bagan, New Bagan to Nyang U. In addition, when riding a bicycle, you can visit any temple you like.
3. Mandalay – 3 days
From Bagan – Mandalay by boat along the Ayeyarwadi (Irrawaddy) River. Note: Check hotel and hostel information.
The attractions you should not miss here include: Shwenandaw Monastery with extremely sophisticated sculptures; Kuthodaw Paya, the temple with the world's largest Buddhist scriptures with 729 "pages" carved on extremely impressive marble; Mandalay Hill with a walking journey to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset by the Ayeyarwady River; Mahamuni Pagoda with an impressive Buddha statue wearing a robe and hat with a 6-inch thick layer of gold leaf on the statue's body; U-bein Bridge and Buddhist monastery in Amarapura.
4. Inle Lake: 2 days
From Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay you can reach Inle Lake (Nyaungshwe). The cost for each route is as follows: Yangon – Inle: about 15,000 kyat, 16-20 hours; Bagan – Inle: about 11,000 kyat, 12 hours; Mandalay – Inle: about 10,000 kyat, 10 hours.
Inle is one of the largest freshwater mountain lakes in Myanmar. It is rich in products, home to unique ethnic minorities and famous for its annual September festival. It is also an ideal place for you to breathe the air of the “sea lake”.bagsurrounded by rolling hills
The best way to fully enjoy this place is to spend a day just taking a boat (price 10,000 - 20,000 kyat) on the lake, watching the Myanmar men rowing the boat with their feet. The next day is spent visiting Phaung daw Oo or Phaung Daw Oo pagoda, stopping by the souvenir shop and meeting the long-necked women, buying a beautiful silk from the silk weaving village from water lily silk, wandering through the tomato fields floating on the water, having lunch at a floating restaurant in the middle of the lake...
5. Bago – Kyaikhtiyo: 2 days
Kyaikhtiyo Golden Rock Pagoda - Golden Mountain Pagoda is the most famous tourist destination in Bago in particular and Myanmar in general. The pagoda is located precariously on a large rock attached to the cliff.
The easiest way to visit this place is to buy a package tour to Bago and Kyaikhtiyo for about 70-100 USD. Otherwise, from Yangon you can take a bus to Kim Pun (the nearest point to Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda), from Kim Pun take a truck to get near the top of the mountain, then walk another 4km to the Golden Mount Pagoda. It is hard work but it is a worthy trip to see one of the masterpieces of Myanmar Buddhism created by both man and nature.
Besides, Bago "retains" tourists with the beauty of an old capital with a very slow pace of life, ancient temples, local markets with cheap souvenirs.
What to bring?
- Light clothing, and must have pants that are above the knee and a shirt with sleeves to visit temples.
- Flat shoes for walking a lot and must be easy to take on and off when visiting because you often take them off and put them on when visiting temples.
- Hats, umbrellas, jackets, masks.
- Lightweight, easy-to-carry disposable raincoat.
- Sunscreen, mosquito repellent and basic medicines.
According to An Huynh (Infonet)
