Living in Yangon

[xinchao]

It is looking likely I will be moving to Yangon with my DH and DS(3). We already live in the region so it isn't a HUGE move...but I would love to hear from anyone who has lived or is living there. Anyone Yangon-based MNetters?

[Alligatorpie]

So exciting! We applied to a job there, but were told it was too difficult to get visas for our dcs as it was a new company. This gives me hope we can reapply in a few years. Hope it goes well for you. Heard amazing things about Myanmar!

[pilpiloni]

Not personally but I have a lovely Burmese colleague from Yangon. His parents and some of his siblings still live there. Obviously they're not expats but i could ask him if you have any questions that he could answer

[xinchao]

Alligatorpie - I know a few people planning a move there with kids and one couple who recently moved with kids. I understand things are changing very quickly there with lots of people moving in. I think the visa situation still requires regular visa runs for the first six months though...

pilpiloni - thank you! My main questions at the moment are around work opportunities, childcare, schools and housing but I may have more after our 'look see' at the weekend!

It is an exciting opportunity and the more I read about Yangon, the more I think it will be a good fit for us.

[Isthiscorrect]

How wonderful. Dh was offered a job January 2015. It had been a long time coming and we were very excited. The package offered didn't meet our requirements even though they were fully aware and had been fo mo this. We had to turn it don. They were shocked. Dh said at the time they will get a consultant for 6 months and then come back to him. They did. The day the job went live again he was contacted from all over the world but still no increase in package so still we haven't made it.
We went on holiday though and it was fabulous. And we got most of our information through the forum Internations.
Very jealous. Have a fab fab time.

[Thedrownedsubmariner]

Mingalabar,

Been here for four years and have two children of nursery age. Fire away with any questions that you might have. It's great, changing at one hell of a pace but a very charming place to live.

Would suggest that the main thing you need to consider is where your workplace is should drive your choice of residence location as traffic is getting worse by the day.

[Thedrownedsubmariner]

Plenty of good nurseries, one or two not so good, lovely people to work with or have work for you. Letting agents I can recommend to you via pm if you wish. No real shortage of any products in the shops nowadays. Healthcare improving constantly but do make sure that you have good insurance in your package as surgery etc. Should really be done in Bangkok.

[xinchao]

Isthiscorrect - hmmm, we are negotiating package. So let's see...

Thedrownedsubmariner - my husband will be working downtown. I haven't secured work yet...but hopefully. For a downtown work address, where is best to live? Where would be a no-no?

Accommodation prices seem to vary a bit and we are negotiating it as part of the package. Do you have a sense for how much companies are willing to cover?

We are in a country at present without good healthcare and Yangon would take us closer to Bangkok...so that would be a plus!

I will pm you closer to the move re letting agents, thanks so much for the offer.

[Nefertitts]

Yep, here with DH and DD(tiny). Recently moved but PM me with any specific questions or nearer the time of the move

[xinchao]

Thanks Nefertitts! The recruitment process moving at a glacial pace but seems to be almost concluded. With luck, we'll be moving in October. 🙂

[mmgirish]

Haven't lived in Yangon but visited in December and loved it. Have fun!

[xinchao]

It has been the most drawn out recruitment process but looks like a contract will be signed this week

[HighOverTheFenceLeapsSunnyJim]

What's the malaria situation? Have been considering a trip with the kids but not sure about whether it's worth taking them into malarial area for the fun of it.

[xinchao]

High - my understanding is that there is no malaria in Yangon but there is in more rural areas. I am going to speak to a travel clinic when I get back to the UK for more information.

For me it would depend on the age of the kids. My mum (a nurse) had me in a country with a high rate of malaria when I was a baby...doesn't seem to have been a concern of hers (despite her contracting malaria multiple times)...she tells me it was a different era with different worries back then!!

[HighOverTheFenceLeapsSunnyJim]

Thanks xinchao, been doing more googling & totally falling in love with the idea of visiting! Kids would be 9, 6 and just 2, & we would stay for 2 months or so... What would be your age cut off point?

[Thedrownedsubmariner]

Malaria in Yangon is rare, Dengue outbreaks are occasional. The two cases of dengue that I've come across directly were contracted further North, most likely in Mandalay or Bagan. That's not to say that there aren't lots of moaquitos, especially at this time of year, and the usual precautions should be taken. Our children sleep under nets but we don't bother. I don't know anyone that takes prophylaxis against malaria here. Parasites, food hygiene and Giardia are more of a general issue

[xinchao]

I'm not sure about age cut off - anything I say would be a number plucked out of thin air without proper research! Someone more informed than me might have info on risks taking anti-malarials suitable for Myanmar.

Good to know malaria rare in Yangon, that was my understanding. We're in Vietnam
now - no malaria here but dengue, food safety etc are more the risk.

[Isthiscorrect]

Xinchao, any news on the move yet? Feeling for you with the glacial pace of recruitment, especially as they are so in need of skilled personnel.

[xinchao]

Thanks Isthiscorrect We're moving! It has been slow but hopefully worth it. Won't arrive until later in the year as have to visit family etc first.

I have only been for a weekend so it will be a new country for me to explore.

[curioustraveler]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and it's so interesting to hear about all these experiences in Myanmar!

My boyfriend and I are considering a job offer in Mandalay for next year. One aspect that we are considering is whether it would be safe to live with very young children in that area. We know that healthcare is not at a high standard and surely would plan to rely on Bangkok or European hospitals for childbirth...but how risky is the situation really for babies just a few months old?

Thedrownedsubmariner and others with experience, I would be grateful for anything you could share :)

[akuabadoll]

Hello, Mandalay is certainly a much less common location for ex-pats with children than Yangon. School is a problem in Mandalay, not so in Yangon, with a tiny one though you are correct its health care that's the concern. The better health care is concentrated around Yangon too.
I was Yangon-based for 4 years (until this summer) and travelled all over the country, my second son was born in Bangkok and lived in Myanmar since he was 3 weeks old.

[Thedrownedsubmariner]

Hello - I’ve only just spotted this! Akuabadoll i suspect that we may know each other but I digress... Mandalay is likely to be ‘safe’ relatively in terms of crime etc I know that the main supermarket chains from Myanmar are operating there.

You should be able to get access to healthcare - I can’t imagine that their isn’t a decent private clinic or hospital up there by now - I suggest you look up Parami hospital in Yangon and ask for their advice if you can as to who they would recommend up there for paediatric support (ask for Dr. Olivier Cattin if you can).

failing that I should think that at least one of the Thai big players in healthcare (samitivej or bumrungrad) will have a presence there both of which are extremely reliable - there is also Leo Family that has set up locally. For vaccinations etc you could quite easily schedule trips to yangon as internal flights are cheap and reliable. In an emergency Mandalay is well connected to Bangkok.

Despite the failings of the previous and current administration it really is the most fantastic place for a posting still, particularly with young children. Please feel free to PM me.

[Thedrownedsubmariner]

Mandalay also has a higher prevalence of malaria and dengue I believe but the risks to children can be easily managed if you set out with a good routine from the start - pop up nets and AC set low or fans on children’s beds and repellent when playing outside at the same time as doing sun screen. Get your residence fumigation sorted for alternate weeks inside and outside - it should be enough.

[curioustraveler]

Thank you both Akuabadoll and Thedrownedsubmariner for your answers and precious information!
We are definitely going to take the opportunty to live in Myanmar for a couple of years. The question for us is rather whether we should delay starting a family until we know the place better, but hearing from different experiences helps a lot.

[akuabadoll]

I guess it's a case of 'it's all relative'. A place acceptable to one person to live and raise a family is not going to be the same as the next. Certainly getting a feel for the place yourself first is likely smart. Good luck with it.