Decaying colonial buildings in Yangon, Myanmar
Trail through Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar to explore the best of Southeast Asia's exotic wonders.
Yangon, Myanmar
Yangon’s shimmering pagodas and crumbling colonial-era buildings are what makes the former capital so unique.
Typical downtown Yangon street scene
To experience downtown Yangon’s best architecture, begin at the Queen Anne-style brick-red High Court Building, built in 1911 by architect James Ransome. Follow up with the yellow Lokanat Gallery on Pansodan Street that showcases four decades worth of contemporary Burmese art, as well as the mint-green Accountant General’s Office and Currency Department that keeps beautiful iron columns imported from Manchester, UK.
An ornamented staircase winds it way up to the top of the Accountant General’s Office and Currency Department
Finish the adventure at The Secretariat, a storied Victorian building that witnessed the assassination of Aung San (father of Aung San Suu Kyi), among other historical events.
Covered with gold plates, Shwedagon Pagoda is encrusted with thousands of diamonds, with a 72-carat piece at the very top
When night falls, the more than 2,500-year-old Shwedagon Pagoda glows against the Yangon skyline, and a quick candle offering at the main plaza is believed to offer peace and tranquility in life.
Where To Stay
Author John Murray, in his 1911 Handbook For Travellers In India, Burma, And Ceylon, wrote that The Strand is “the finest hostelry East of Suez”, and this is precisely why the legendary hotel that overlooks the Yangon River is where a true explorer should reside.
The Strand was built during the British colonial period
Built in 1901, the hotel retains much of its warmth and personality, including its classic cream interiors, polished wooden floors, and colourful rattan chairs. River Gallery, adjacent to The Strand, champions Myanmar’s leading contemporary artists—art lovers, take note!
