The People of Myanmar - Ethnic Diversity and Warm Hospitality

SKIP AHEAD

Diversity
Safety
The Burmese Language
Hospitality

What makes a country is not merely its geography, but more its people. While it is true that Myanmar has breathtaking historical sites you don't want to miss, its real charm resides in its people.

Apart from its devout practice of Theravada Buddhism, Myanmar is also known for its ethnic diversity and warm hospitality. It recognizes 135 distinct ethnic groups, speaking more than 100 languages belonging to 4 language groups.

This amazing diversity is one of Myanmar's unique appeals, but has also in the past been the cause of much conflict. Balancing diversity with harmony is something the Myanmar government continues to grapple with.

You might be interested in:

Trekking in Kalaw - Trekking Itineraries

November Weather at Ngapali Beach

How to Get Around Yangon

9 Things to Know before Visiting Myanmar - Fun Facts

Top Restaurants in Yangon - Local Snacks to Fine French Dinners | Asia Highlights

14-Day Myanmar Photography Tour

China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.

Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion

Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English.

Gerd, Jan 2018

Planning our trip

We have spend that last eight months planning a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Alisa Lia was creative & patient helping us customize our tour to include the sites and adventures we were excited to see. Hard waiting for the trip to start.

Jamie Danner, Oct 2023

My experience in Thai

All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy（ Siem Reap）were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions.

kelli, Jul 2023

Seamless Planning

From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far.

Sana Samhouri, Jul 2023

Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia

A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you!

Daniela, Jul 2023

It was our first time in Cambodia and …

It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind.

Amy Oakes Moon, Jun 2023

Our guide Borin - never boring!

Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience

David Muliyil, Jun 2023

Great visit!

Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return!

Alejandra M Almonte, Jun 2023

We've had such a great experience…

We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience.

Lauren, Jun 2023

Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.

Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina.

maria laura artola, Jun 2023

Trip-of-a-lifetime

In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips!

Teri Simpson, Apr 2023

Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!

Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him!

Jennifer Roth Krieger, Apr 2023

My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…

My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia.

Isabelle Dessaux, Apr 2023

Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia

We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!!

Monica, Mar 2023

Best Travel Service for Asia Travel

Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again.

Leo Pospichal, Mar 2023

Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand

The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion!

Deb M, Mar 2023

In good hands with Sam

Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days.

Carol Jones, Feb 2023

Best tour guide in Cambodia

When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :)

Len S, Feb 2023

Mr. Sam

Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US

Pho Lover, Feb 2023

Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand

We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic!

Danielle Blount, Feb 2023

Diversity

The Bamars

The majority of the population (68%) are Burmese-speaking Bamars, descended from Indo-Tibetan nomads. These people dominate the government, the civil and military sectors of the country.

Most of the stereotypical images of Myanmar, such as the yellow bark powder people put on their faces for sunscreen, the practice of Theravada Buddhism, the traditional wrap-around clothing (longyi), are typical of the Bamar people.

Most tourist areas, including Yangon, Bagan, and Mandalay, are regions dominated by Bamar people.

The Shan

The second largest people group, the Shan, represents 9% of the population. They live mainly but not only in Shan State. Like the Bamars, they are mostly Theravada Buddhists.

The Shan people are distinguishable from the Bamar by their clothing. While the Bamar wear sarong-like longyi, the Shan men usually dress in baggy dark blue trousers, while girls above the age of 14 wear colorful dresses.

Interestingly, women wear less and less color as they grow older. At about the age of 40, they start to wear mainly black clothing, and continue to do so the rest of their lives..

The Shan State Army, an insurgent group in control of Shan state, is one of the largest of many rebel groups in Myanmar. Like other such groups, they have in the past struggled for independence from Myanmar.

The Kayin (Karen) and Kachin

The Kayin and Kachin are mostly Christians, as distinct from Buddhists, like the rest of the people of Myanmar. This is largely due to American Baptist missionary activity in the 19th century. During the colonial period, they were widely employed by the British as soldiers.

The preferential treatment of Kayin and Kachin over the Bamar has contributed to poor relations between them and the Bamar-dominated government in the past, and ill-feeling persists even until today.

The Kachin people live in northern Myanmar, bordering with China, while the Kayin people live in eastern Myanmar, bordering with Thailand. Both have long wished to separate from Myanmar and have fought long for independence, suffering much in the process.

Travel to these areas is still not recommended due to political instability.

The Rakhine and Chin

The Rakhine and Chin peoples both occupy the western region of Myanmar. The Rakhine constitute about 4% of the population and have slightly darker complexion, due to intermarriage with Indians.

The Chin constitute about 1% of the population and mainly live near the borders with India and Bangladesh. Like the Karen, the Chin have largely converted to Christianity from animism, due to Western missionary activities.

15-Day Myanmar, Thailand, and Bali Honeymoon Creating Memories Together in the Best Honeymoon Destinations

Others

In addition to these, there are other smaller minorities, a large number of people of Indian descent who came to Myanmar during the British era, and many Chinese immigrants who today dominate the economy.

If you visit Inle Lake, you will encounter people from one of the smaller minorities called the "Intha" people. They are characterized by their men's 'leg-rowing' skills, using one leg to stand on the boat and the other as if it was a long paddle to row the boat. For more details on Inle Lake, see

The Rohingya

The Rohingya are a minority ethnic group residing in Rakhine State. The Myanmar government currently doesn't recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group, maintaining that most of them are illegal immigrants who entered the country following Burmese independence.

Many people claim, however, that the group's presence in Myanmar dates back to the colonial and even the pre-colonial period.

Like the Karen and Kachin people, the Rohingya's distinct racial background (closer to Bengali) and Muslim faith have caused them to be held in contempt by the government and even by their neighbors.

The outbreak of conflict in 2015 in Rakhine State forced many Rohingya to flee abroad, including to Malaysia. Their plight became the focus of an international crisis, as human trafficking became a problem.

Safety

As the country starts to open up and develop its tourist industry, tourists are becoming a common sight in several places. Commonly visited tourist sites such as Yangon, Inle Lake, Bagan, Mandalay, and Nay Pyi Taw – the new capital – are safe for travel.

In other areas of the country, however, more caution needs to be taken, as political tension between certain ethnic groups and the government has yet to be resolved.

The Burmese Language

Since Burma used to be a British colony, many Myanmar people are conversant in English and English is the second national language.

The main language, however, is Burmese, which was originally the language of the Bamar people. During the Bagan Dynasty from 1044 to 1287 AD, Burmese was promoted as the common language to unite the region.

Within Burmese there are regional differences, between Upper Burma (the Mandalay dialect) and Lower Burma (the Yangon dialect). The differences are mainly in choice of vocabulary and pronunciation.

In the past the Upper Burma dialect was standard, but the Lower Burma dialect has been regarded as standard since Yangon became the center of economic and media activity.

Burmese uses a unique script adapted from Indian scripts. While there have been attempts to Romanize the writing, they have not yet been standardized (unlike Chinese pinyin). For example, a Burmese name such as may be Romanized variously as Win, Winn or even Wynn.

As elsewhere, you will be able to connect better with the local people if you know a little of their language. Even if you can only say a few phrases in Burmese, it will show local people that you are genuinely interested in their culture and are willing to get to know them.

We recommend that before embarking on your journey, you spend some time learning some basic Burmese phrases online.

7-Day Myanmar Essence Tour Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan Tour with e-Visa

Hospitality

Despite having experienced much bitterness in recent decades, the people of Myanmar have retained a genuine and warm sense of hospitality.

You will find that most Burmese people are friendly, helpful and willing to share their lifestyle with foreign visitors. Their sincere hospitality is one of the reasons why Myanmar will continue to attract visitors in future.

If you decide to use an Asia Highlights' tour to explore Myanmar, you will experience this warmth firsthand. Our considerate and reliable guides will gladly share everything about the sights you see, from the signboards to the details of a festival.

Our drivers are equally willing to please. For example, when you return after visiting attractions, their air-conditioned cars are always cooled down and ready to welcome you. Drivers will supply you with water and tissues, help you with luggage, and more.

Waiters and waitresses in the restaurants and hotels are also very helpful.

Myanmar has great sights to explore, but you may find that one of the main highlights of your journey is your interaction with local people. We hope that when you visit Myanmar, you will get to know the people there in a more personal way and be entranced by their hospitality and diversity.

Visit Myanmar with Asia Highlights

We provide tailor-made tours to Myanmar. Tours typically start or end in Yangon or Mandalay and last approximately 9 days; visiting Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake.

Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)

Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.

Private Tour