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Home » BLOG » MYANMAR » Yangon, Myanmar: A Photo Essay

Yangon, Myanmar: A Photo Essay

By Matt Forma Last Updated December 4, 2020

When reminiscing about Yangon, I imagine sipping a small cup of milk tea on a stool in a shady alley on a hot day. Colorful clotheslines swing in the breeze above me. I can hear the greetings of mingalaba and still see the betel-stained smiles in my mind. While living in Bangkok I went to Myanmar three different times. It has a way of drawing you back.

Myanmar is a beautiful and diverse country with 135 ethnic groups. A complicated nation with an ancient heritage coming to terms with its troubled past under British colonial rule, followed by an oppressive military junta. Even now, the country unfortunately still struggles with internal conflicts.

Visiting Myanmar you get the sense that you’re entering a land that time has forgotten. It’s one of a few Southeast Asian countries that still hasn’t been spoiled by mass tourism and Starbucks lattes. Its isolation under a brutal military dictatorship for half a century has a lot to do with it. With all Myanmar’s natural beauty and friendly people, it still sees only a fraction of travelers.

Yangon is an excellent city for photography

Yangon is a very special city to me. There’s never a dull moment. The commercial center is always bustling. Years of heat, humidity, and pollution are baked onto building walls. Buddhist pagodas are juxtaposed against colonial architecture and decaying Chinese shophouses. You’ll see men wearing longyis chewing kun yar, women on the corner frying up samusas, and rickshaw drivers reading the newspaper between runs.

To me, sampling the food is a major part of any journey. I have fond memories of eating South Indian cuisine on 32nd street. Enjoying cheap Japanese at an izakaya. Choosing from hundreds of skewered items to chargrill on 19th street and scooping spoonfuls of crunchy lephet thoke (tea leaf salad) at a street stall.

I met a shy young student during an English lesson I participated in at a language school. Her name is Mrat. She’s from Rakhine state and she studied at Yangon University. In exchange for helping her with English she agreed to tag along and translate for me when we encountered people downtown. Without her many of these photos never would’ve happened at all.

Since many of us are currently unable to travel, enjoy this virtual tour of Yangon, one of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia.

Two novice monks in Myanmar
Two novice monks at a market in Dala Township.
Woman in a hammock under bananas at Danyingon Market
A woman swings in her hammock at Danyingon Market.
King teahouse in Yangon, Myanmar photo essay
Pulling tea
Shwedagon Pagoda at night in Yangon
Shwedagon Pagoda lit up at night.
Portrait of a friendly vendor in Yangon
Portrait of a produce vendor in Yangon.
A woman carries a basket near the tracks in Yangon
A woman carries a basket near the train tracks.
Fresh okra at the market in Yangon
Fresh okra at the Theingyi Market.
A man rows a boat on the Yangon River
A man rows his boat in the morning on the Yangon River.
A Muslim man lights a cigar in Yangon
A man lights a cigar in Theingyi Market.
Train tracks in Yangon, Myanmar photo essay
Train tracks on the Yangon circle train.
A young Buddhist nun smiles through a window in Burma
A surprised novice nun smiles through a window.
Street scene in downtown Yangon
Street scene in downtown Yangon.

Read next: 35 Things to do in Yangon, Myanmar

A man rolls kun yar and sits on his bike in Yangon, Myanmar photo essay
A man rolls kun yar (betel nut) and sits on his bike for a portrait.
A young Muslim girl in Dala Township
A trendy hijabster in Dala Township.
Burmese crunchy tomato salad
Burmese tomato salad at Bogyoke Market.
A local bus rider and Mr. Bean in Yangon
A local bus rider and Mr. Bean.
Traffic in Yangon, Myanmar photo essay
Traffic in Yangon shortly before sunset.
Theingyi Market - Yangon, Myanmar photo essay
Theingyi Market in Yangon, Myanmar is a wonderful place to shoot in the morning.
Danyingon train station
Arriving at the Danyingon train station.
Colonial architecture in Yangon photo essay
Colonial architecture near the Strand Hotel.
Grandpa and granddaughter portrait in Dala Township Myanmar
Portrait of a grandpa and his granddaughter in Dala Township across the Yangon River.
Buddhist nuns chopping and gathering wood.
Buddhist nuns chopping and gathering wood.
A laughing Burmese woman in Yangon, Myanmar photo essay
Laughter is the cure for what ails us.
Two men sift through coconuts in Yangon, Myanmar
Two men sifting through coconuts near the waterfront.
Portrait of a monk smoking a cigarette and drinking tea
A friendly monk we met on the Yangon circle train.
Mrat
Thank you Mrat! Hope we can do it again someday…

Have you ever been to Yangon, Myanmar? Did you enjoy this virtual tour?

Yangon, Myanmar: A Photo Essay
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About Matt Forma

Co-founder of Why We Seek. Blogger/Photographer/Foodie. Currently exploring Mexico and eating all the tacos! Follow us on Instagram @whyweseek

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