Wednesday, August 13, 2025
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yangon day Trips

By
Aye Chan
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Working in the city everyday can take its toll on our sanity. I try to get away for a few days every month to recharge the batteries and enjoy some of the delightful places that Myanmar has to offer. Here are five of my favourites.

Bago

The city enjoyed its glory days in the 13th century when Kubilai Khan’s Mongol forces destroyed Bagan, forcing King Warau to move the seat of his Mon Empire to Bago. The city was annexed by the Taungoos in 1539 but continued to flourish as a busy river port before the river changed its course in the 18th century, leaving Bago to become the mid sized regional town it continues to operate as today.

Hardly surprisingly for a city so steeped in Buddhist history, Bago is renowned for its abundance of temples and pagodas and has been described by visitors as a “Buddhist Disneyland”.

Its most famous pagoda is Shwemawdaw, standing 46 feet higher than the more famous Shwedagon in Yangon and said to be the tallest pagoda in the world. It has been rebuilt several times over the years and apparently contains two hairs and two teeth of the Buddha.

Other places worthy of a visit are the Hintha Gon Pagoda, the reclining Shwethalyaung Buddha and Kanbawzathadi Palace, a reconstruction of the palace built by 16th century ruler King Bayinnaung.

Bago can be reached in less than two hours from Yangon’s Aung Mingalar Bus Station.

Dallah

As Yangon sprouts shiny, modern condominiums and imports the latest Japanese cars, across the river in Dallah, life continues much as it did hundreds of years ago.

Bulls plough the abundant farmland around the town and houses are not much more than basic wooden huts on stilts. Outside, the owners sit lazily, watching the day go by and puffing on their cheroots.

It’s a beautiful, calm spot to really get to grips with the country without venturing too far from Yangon.

The operators of the Dallah Ferry, which leaves from Yangon’s Pansodan jetty, have (unfortunately) recognised the town’s popularity among tourists – hiking foreigner prices five fold in the last few years – but still it doesn’t attract too many tourists, and the ten-minute ferry trip offers a fascinating, if brief, glimpse at river travel in the country.

In Dallah itself, the most popular ways of travelling around are either by bicycle or trishaw, and there are a number of placid pagodas, but the town’s highlight is the simple lifestyle offered in comparison to the relative chaos on the other side of the river.

Twante

Twante sits on the scenic canal by the same name, and it is through this waterway that boats travel from Yangon.

Once renowned for its art, today Twante attracts visitors interested in the city’s burgeoning pottery industry. Pots are worked by hand as an assistant manually turns the potter’s wheel. Once the pots have been painted and dried, they are baked for five days. They are then transported to the surrounding Irrawaddy region for sale, where they are generally well received thanks to the reputation Twante’s pottery industry has built for itself.

The most popular pottery shed is Oh Bo (most rickshaw drivers in the town will have heard of it), and another popular site is the Shwesandaw Pagoda.

British writer George Orwell also spent some time living in the town and the old Police Commissioner’s house in the town is thought to be where he lived during his brief stay there.

Thanlyin

Despite being an important town during the British Empire, Thanlyin (named Syriam by the British) was actually founded by a Portuguese adventurer by the name of Filipe DeBrito.

DeBrito served under the King of Arakan, becoming the governor of Thanlyin in 1599, but in 1613, his empire was ransacked by the Burmese and DeBrito’s reign came to a humiliating end as he was impaled on a spike for desecrating Buddhist shrines.

During World War II, Thanlyin was used by foreign – mostly timber – merchants, but that population has now moved on and has been replaced by a large Indian contingent.

The town these days is very small and mostly revolves around an old church from the 18th century, as well as a central marketplace, while nearby Kyauktan is another popular spot worthy of a visit.

mount kyaiktiyo (golden rock)

Leave Yangon early in the morning, climb aboard a bus from the bottom of the mountain that traverses the winding roads to the top, and rush back down to catch the first bus back, and Mount Kyaiktiyo – one of the country’s most pious sites – is possible as a day trip. However, if a little more time is available, it’s a more comfortable trip over two days.

Kinpun is the mountain’s ground zero. It’s a pleasant, basic town, accessible in less than four hours from Yangon. A few local restaurants here and there and the one road filled on each side with shops selling the usual tourist trinkets, but aside from that, there aren’t many reasons to stick around. There are a few basic but reasonable accommodation options in town for those who want to spend the night.

Some choose to travel to the top by bus but, again, those with time on their hands are advised to walk.

It’s challenging but not too strenuous, and can usually be done in about five hours. The path is well maintained and you will be greeted by the friendly smiles of the local people as you ascend.

Up top, as the Golden Rock is a popular pilgrim site for Buddhists, it is particularly busy, but it’s worth spending a bit of time to take in the beautiful views that stretch across the dense Mon forestry.

Investing in Rubies

By
Aye Chan
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Rubies are unquestionably the most sought after of all the precious gemstones in the world, and amongst the most expensive. There are only a few countries in the world that produce rubies, with Myanmar being the industry leader, generating over 80 percent of the world’s supply of these precious stones.

Looking back at history, you will see that gold and silver coins and a variety of precious gemstones have long been used as an established means of bartering for goods and services. Today, natural, unenhanced rubies are among the rarest and most valuable of all gemstones.

As an investment, precious gemstones and diamonds are considered to be an investment in a hard asset, just as gold and silver are. Today, in many parts of the world, investments in hard assets like land, gold and gemstones are preferred over stocks, bonds, currency and other soft assets.

Because the value of gems has shown to increase at a rate equal to inflation, investors should also expect to hold the stones for 10 years or more to see a sizable return on their investment. Furthermore, investors who collect with a purpose will not only add value to a gemstone investment, but also greatly enhance their collection’s intrigue – especially among other collectors and investors.

Star Rubies are even rarer than the average ruby stone. It is estimated that only one out of every one hundred rubies produced becomes what we know as an elusive “Star Ruby”. These incredible gemstones exhibit a distinct six-ray star that moves across the surface of the stone when the stone is moved to reflect a light source. This brilliance represents the precision of the cut, which allows the maximum amount of light to be reflected back to the eye. Stones with lower than 50 to 70 percent brilliance lose light through the sides of the stone due to imperfections of the stone’s angles.

All things considered, it is no wonder these magnificent gemstones are in high demand amongst many private investors. If you’re looking to invest in a ruby and own one of the rarest of rare gems, a ruby with an excellent cut will offer the best mix between the smoothest finish, the heaviest weight and the shape’s precision. When it comes to high quality rubies, heavy stones hold value more consistently than lighter stones.

What to look for
  • Clarity – Compare clarity according the American Gemological Laboratory (AGL) clarity guide and look for a Free of Inclusion (FI) rating. “Clarity” represents the internal perfection of the stone, and because investment quality rubies require the highest clarity, you must look for flaws (internal cracks or chips) within the stone. You can see some flaws with the naked eye, but you might need a jeweller’s loupe to view the stone at 10x or 20x magnification.
  • Tone – Compare the tone of the ruby, and look for a medium tone score of 55 to 65. Too light a tone and the ruby will appear diluted and washed out. Too dark and the transparency suffers.
  • an AGL rating of “excellent”. “Cut” represents the symmetry of the stone’s shape, the weight of the final cut stone and the brilliance of the finish. Investment grade rubies with an excellent cut offer the best mix between the smoothest finish, the heaviest weight and shape’s precision.
  • Brilliance – Compare brilliance and look for a minimum rating of 95 percent. “Brilliance” represents the precision of the cut, so that the maximum amount of light reflects back to the eye. Stones with lower than 50 or 70 percent brilliance lose light through the sides of the stone due to imperfections of the stone’s angles.
  • Weight – Compare weights and look for a minimum of one carat. “Carat” represents the weight of the stone derived from an ancient measures and weights system. When it comes to investment quality rubies, heavy stones hold value more consistently than lighter stones.
  • Certification – Examine the certification agency and look for a score certified by the AGL. The AGL has standardised international guidelines to describe stone quality. Stones graded without a standardised grading certificate might have undisclosed flaws or might not match third party grading systems.

 

Buy Right

The natural beauty and rarity of gemstones has inspired humanity to use them for personal adornment for as long as history remembers. Some gemstones, such as rubies, can be priced higher than diamonds, as their scarcity endows them with a greater market value. The value of high quality rubies has appreciated tremendously in recent years, as known sources are almost depleted. Owning gemstones not only provides a source of beauty and admiration, but it can also prove to be a sound investment when done right. Anyone can profit from investing in gemstones, as long as you have a strategy that works for you.

Basic tips that you need to know if you are seeking out gems as an investment include:

  • Learn as much as possible about the gemstones – Mistakes made in such an investment can be very expensive. For instance, with so many treatments available today, it is imperative that you know the details of any treatments done to your gemstone collection.
  • Buy the best stones you can find… And be patient!!! – Gemologists from an approved laboratory must certify all purchases.
  • Try to buy below retail prices – Usually, gems bought as an investment should be bought from wholesalers, either as particular gemstones or in lots. Go to reputable dealers or wholesalers who mine or cut the stones themselves. There are many of them in Myanmar – just look for the right ones. It takes patience, but it is certainly worthwhile.

 

 

 

Tell Time with class and Flair

By
Aye Chan
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Think of luxury watches in terms of automobiles: You have the high end (Maybach) brands, the mid range (Cadillac) brands, and the “basic luxury” (Volvo) brands. Although any of them could cost you a small fortune, some are more exclusive and more highly coveted than the others. Yet, aside from their hefty price tags, these brands have something else in common: Owning a luxury car, no matter how expensive or how exclusive it is, is an investment, as it is with a luxury watch.

Whether you’re in the market to start your own collection or to purchase a gift for someone else, here are a few things to remember when shopping for time.

Style

The unspoken rule about luxury watches is that if it doesn’t go well with your suit, then you cannot consider it a “luxury”. Of course, this rule is moot if you’re purchasing a sports watch. Despite this, consider a watch’s versatility before purchasing. Determine if it’s an everyday watch, for more formal evening gatherings or for sporting events. For this reason, a classic watch is always a wise choice for those who are just beginning to build their collections.

When choosing watches, most men value brand performance (as each brand has a distinctive advantage in terms of consumer loyalty over its competitors, but we’ll get to that in a bit), build quality, features and the watch’s exclusivity, regardless of the price. On the other hand, most women prefer exclusive brands and beautiful, intricately designed and crafted watches, such as those embedded with rare gemstones or those with gold and antique finishes.

If you’re purchasing a gift for your special lady, consider the Cartier La Dona watch; a beautiful and elegant timepiece with a diamond bezeled case and bracelet set in 18k white gold with an elegant, polished finish. Given the fact that this six figure watch has already been discontinued, giving one to your lady love would surely earn you some brownie points

For men, the Breitling Navitimer combines the appeal of aeronautics and the beauty of a chronograph. With a rose 18k gold finish set on a black dial, an elegant brown crocodile leather strap and a five figure price tag, the Navitimer is sure to turn heads.

Again, the first thing to consider when buying luxury watches is that you are making an investment. Figure out if you want to invest in a specific but unique watch, or if you want a classic watch that you can wear everyday.

Water resistance

Given that luxury watches come with expensive tags, it only makes sense to purchase one that will last. That being said, make sure you invest in a watch that is at least 50m water resistant. This means that you can use it while swimming in shallow water or bathing. If you need a watch for snorkelling or other similar water activities, try a watch with 100m resistance. Finally, get a diver’s watch that is at least 150m water resistant if you’re into scuba diving.

When it comes to diver’s watch, the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Blue is always a popular choice. With a blue dial that provides maximum legibility, even on night dives, it complements every frequent diver’s ensemble.

Brand Name

In the same way a car enthusiast would know the value of your car, watch aficionados will be able to spot a watch’s exclusivity and rareness from afar. That being said, the brand plays a pivotal role in determining a watch’s desirability.

Before we begin discussing different brands, it would be worth pointing out that such brands often carry many products on a single line, meaning that a brand may offer a range of both high end and mid range luxury watches. High end luxury watches showcase exclusive design and astonishing craftsmanship, considering that the majority, if not all, of the watch’s components are handmade. High end luxury watches are also produced in smaller quantities, thus making each piece extremely valuable in its own right. Such items are available only at specialised watch dealers and jewellery stores and prices start at around $5,000 for stainless steel watches and can reach into the millions for other types. Mid range watches are the “stereotype” of luxury; durable, beautiful watches that are both elegant and valuable. Mid range luxury watches are found at watch dealers and jewellers. Stainless steel models start at around $1,000 and the most expensive of the gold on gold variants could reach as much as $20,000. Luxury watches, on the other hand, are sold in department stores and malls. While their prices may be a bit more expensive when compared to “normal” watches, this range of watches is still at the lower end of the luxury spectrum. Nevertheless, luxury watches are elegant, stylish and trendy. A stainless steel model could go for as low as $500, while a gold on gold bracelet variant could sell for as much as $4,000. A watch’s brand, however, is only as impressive as its appearance. If you neglect to properly maintain your luxury watch, then it could appear as ordinary as the ones you will see on the street.

With these guidelines in mind, you are well on your way to purchasing a fine luxury watch.

Big hand. Small hand. Slow Hand.

By
Aye Chan
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Super rockstar Eric Clapton has always had a passion for music; and the same can be said about his collection of luxury watches.

In 2003, Christie’s auctioneers in New York put up for sale 23 of Mr. Clapton’s Rolex watches. From the collection, 16 watches were chronographs, which are said to be his favourite watches of all time.

His eye for class and distinction, as well as a shrewd knowledge of the market, saw a stainless steel Rolex Oyster Cosmograph, known as an “Albino” (the four dials are all the same silvery colour) was sold for $50,200. However, had he held on to it, five years later the same watch sold for $505,000, although this might have had something to do with the fact that it was previously owned by the rock god.

Another in the collection, the one that he was wearing when he first played the super hit Layla, is a 1965 stainless steel Rolex Yacht Master, which fetched a whopping $125,000 under the auctioneers hammer (the watch is fine, that’s just a phrase).

His penchant for chronographs extends to the Patek Philippe luxury brand. The top seller at the auction was his extremely rare 1950 pink gold chronograph that went for $175,000.

His bug for collecting fine watches has become well known amongst the high society elite and when Christie’s in Geneva sold his platinum perpetual calendar chronograph watch with moon phases in 2012, Patek Philippe had already decided to cease production of this model, making it a very rare and very precious collector’s item.

Two other watches from this run are now cased in platinum. One is on display at the Patek Philippe Museum, while the other was reportedly sold for an undisclosed sum in a private transaction in 1989. Mr. Clapton then purchased this watch sometime in the late 1990s, again, for an undisclosed amount. The same watch was sold at auction in 2012 for over $3,625M – showing that, as with his music, timing is what it’s all about.

A Belief in Myanmar’s future ( Q&A with Oliver Belfitt-nash – Myanmar Representative, ROnOc )

By
Aye Chan
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How a young man’s journey from York University in England, to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, brought him to Yangon to set up operations in the financial services sector.

MI: What is RONOC’s current role in Myanmar?

OBN: We focus on financial services and our major project currently is with a bank in Mongolia, where we have established relationships, invested capital and grown with the bank, and that’s the sort of situation we want to establish here. Given the current stage of the market here and the range of opportunities on offer, we are interested in looking at any investment and advisory opportunities in the country. We have no projects on the go currently [in Myanmar], but are researching the situation on the ground, but come the New Year we’ll be looking to invest some capital and get involved with projects. Financial services are an incredibly appealing sector right now and it will be interesting to see if that changes over the next few months; as to whether the doors will open completely and foreign banks can come in, set up local branches and cooperate with local companies.

MI: What is the current situation for foreign investors looking to move into the Myanmar market?

OBN: I think in terms of investment in general, most people are waiting until 2015 [when national elections will be held]. The test in 2015 is stability – whoever wins. Will there be protests in the street? If Aung San Suu Kyi’s party [The National League for Democracy] wins, maybe there won’t be protests, but there might be a backlash from the government or the military and there is a risk that there could be instability on a political level. In Myanmar, political risk is a country risk and I think a number of investors are waiting until that time to measure if it has an impact.

MI: Are those companies that are moving into Myanmar currently taking a gamble?

OBN: To a degree, yes. Anyone who comes in the next few years is certainly taking a gamble, particularly if you compare this to somewhere like the USA. The safest investment is in the USA, but you might not get much return on your investment there. People look at about 0.5 percent there, compared with about 20 to 25 percent here. Risks for investors that are already here or looking to move in quickly involve the political situation, corporate risk, communication between investors and local companies, and that risk is very high. But the job for people like myself is to look at the situation and find partners who have good investment potential.

MI: How have investor’s views of the country as a place to do business changed over the last year or so?

OBN: Well, I think things have certainly developed. One major thing that is lacking here is access to information, and the more information and the more data points that people can use will help people’s understanding of doing business here.Being on the ground has been a huge help and does give an advantage. In the nine months that I have been in the country I, of course, understand things a lot better than I did when I first arrived. But access to information is improving slowly. Let’s say, you’re sitting in a Goldman Sachs office in New York and 10 months ago you looked at information on Myanmar and the information available would have been minimal- but look now and there are certainly more data points. Look at this magazine for example [Myanmar Insider], that’s an example of more information. Our newswire is also more informed these days, and all of these things add to people’s access to information. An important thing to consider is that the nature of this country is that it’s still very much relationship-based. You cannot just call up, for example, the Central Bank and get the latest figures. You need to know the people, you need to sit down with those people and gather the information through them through building relationships. Even if there was one ministry that regularly updated all of its data, you could still only go back to 2011, maybe 2010, but most investors, they don’t want two years of data to make a decision, they need three, four, sometimes five years of data.

MI: Myanmar’s rumour mill is famously strong. Does that contribute to the problem of gaining access to information?

OBN: It does, but again, that shows the importance of building relationships with people you know really know what they’re doing. It sort of works like a pyramid: The smaller players are collecting information and, over time, a few more major players might move in, and then we’ll see examples of larger companies investing capital. Let’s look at Coca-Cola, who are operating their bottle factory here: If everything goes well and they can show transparently what they’ve been doing, then other companies will be encouraged to follow them.

MI: There has been much talk recently of Myanmar leapfrogging neighbouring countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam. Do you think that is a possibility?

OBN: There are some industries that can leapfrog other countries, but everything needs to be linked. You can bring in advanced payment systems to use, but if the staff aren’t educated and trained to use them, then they’re not going to be effective. Look at telecoms: that has huge potential. Practically the whole country can gain access to a mobile phone within the next five years – but what if the power is not consistent? What if people cannot charge their phone and people cannot remain connected all the time? For me, it’s education that is really important. If you don’t have a population that can utilise these new IT products effectively, then yes, you might be able to leapfrog here and there, but it has to be backed up. Education takes time, often an entire generation, to catch up.

MI: What do you see as being the key industries here as the country develops?

OBN: For me, financial services offer huge potential. A few years ago, Asian Development Bank published a report saying that Myanmar was the least banked country in Southeast Asia, with regards to things like the number of citizens with bank accounts and the taxes. But you look around and there are hundreds, thousands of businesses that probably aren’t registered, that probably aren’t paying tax and, from our point of view, financial services are a way that companies can improve their operations and impact their community. There might be businesses in certain industries that want to borrow money, but at this moment in time, their only option is extortionate fees from loan sharks, or banks that might not want to lend to people that they don’t know personally. So, in that sense, there’s a huge market for new lenders and new banks to come in and provide capital for these clients. There are hundreds of thousands of companies across the country who can benefit from borrowing money, expand their business and pay back the loan.

 

 

 

oliver Belfitt-Nash Bio

By
Aye Chan
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Oliver established the Ronoc Myanmar office in January 2013, and has been representing the firm’s partners and investors by sourcing investment and advisory opportunities from Yangon, as well as providing regular updates on the market to a larger network of interested parties. Ronoc is an emerging markets-focused group primarily focused on the financial services sector, established in 2007 by an experienced frontier markets banker and Irish national, Michael Madden.

Oliver graduated from the University of York, UK, before moving to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he spent three years as head of research for Monet Capital, a local investment bank and brokerage house advising inbound investors on Mongolia-related equities and economic/political risk. At the end of 2012 he moved to Myanmar to establish the in country Ronoc Investment and Advisory office.

 

 

Jasper House

By
Aye Chan
-

Jasper House sits in the pleasant buffer zone between Yangon’s Dagon and Ahlone townships. On one side lie the leafy, pleasant homes from colonial times, while just a few hundred yards further west you’ll find yourself in the city’s lively industrial district that sits near to the river.

Opened in 2009, the venue has recently changed location to its current building; an impressive 100-year old colonial building that was apparently once home to the hand doctor of a British Prime Minister during the country’s colonial days.

Inside, the owners have done a job of maintaining it in a stately way. Art adorns the walls and there’s a chandelier greeting you upon your entrance.

Despite the elaborate design, Jasper House’s prices are well considered. With the restaurant specialising in Thai food, it seemed silly not to try the Thai Green Curry (K4,200) with rice, while my friend ordered the Steamed Crab (K6,000).

The curry was just right, both in terms of taste and spiciness. I’ve had better, admittedly (there is always room for improvement, eh?), but then again, I’ve certainly had worse. For such a price, I can hardly complain. Meanwhile, my friend made what seemed to be satisfied grunting noises as he devoured the Crab.

The coffees are good, particularly during the evening, as the outside area is a pleasant place to enjoy a drink. There’s a paradise-esque and well stocked bar in the restaurant’s calm, makeshift garden. Certainly worth checking out if you happen to be in the area!

 

 

 

 

Airport Privatisation to Boost Taxes and Benefit Local Players

By
Aye Chan
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Myanmar has announced plans to privatise all domestic airport management businesses. While it has been suggested that the scheme is aimed at promoting the civil aviation industries in Myanmar, we believe that it is also intended to increase tax revenues to fuel the country’s airport expansion plans, as well as to develop civilian airline facilities, to upgrade existing facilities and to reduce governmental spending on such infrastructure. We further note that this scheme is unlikely to benefit international airport operators, as Myanmar’s airport industry remains closed to foreign participation. The final decision on the financial, technical and performance capacity aspects of the initiative have yet to be finalised.

Of Myanmar’s 46 airports, 16 are not currently operational.

 

A Tour of Yangon’s Architecture

By
Aye Chan
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Yangon’s Strand Road was once one of the most important roads in the whole of British India. Here, merchants, businessmen and members of the British Army would arrive, weary after months of travel from their homeland. Some would stay in the then capital city, while many would venture into the deep jungles to explore the country and her rich resources that continue to attract people today.

New arrivals fresh off the boat would have been instantly met by the domineering structures of the Royal Law Courts, the Port Authorities and the offices of the Burmah Oil Company – which would later become British Petroleum. The buildings remain to this day, some in varying states of disrepair.

The wide, boulevard-like Pansodan Road was an important thoroughfare in the city, too, and to each side the impressive structures from the British days remain. Some have fallen into such a poor state that it’s difficult to see how they can be restored, while others have been well looked after and continue to function as offices today.

Yangon – then Rangoon – only really came to prominence after the British took over the country in 1886, making it a province of British India. Burma, as it was known, was until then a Royal Kingdom. King Thibaw and his Queen Supayalat ruled from their golden palaces in then capital Mandalay, but when British troops stormed into the city and ousted him and his wife to some quiet corner of Western India, Burma came under British rule and they moved the capital city to Yangon in order to take advantage of the city’s close proximity to the sea.

So began the complete transformation of the city. Until that point, Sule Pagoda sat virtually alone in the middle of a dense forest, but the British decided to use it as a physical centre point and built some impressive structures around it. Fytch Square (now Mahabandoola Park) was built to the south, to the north the prominent City Hall and to the southeast the beautiful redbrick High Court.

The redbrick structures were strong representations of British architecture at the time, with the most notable being built slightly further east on what is now Bo Aung Kyaw Road, the Ministers’ Building (now known as the Secretariat).

The Secretariat has a special place in the hearts of the people of Myanmar. Completed in 1905, the British used it as their central parliament until they left, and it was in a small room here that the country’s independence hero, Bogyoke Aung San (father of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi), was murdered alongside seven of his associates by a jealous political arrival. Each year, on the anniversary of the murders – July 19th – Martyrs’ Day is celebrated across the country.

Today, the building is heavily guarded by high fencing and, despite a few glimpses here and there, it is difficult to get a real feeling of the building. This may change in the near future as it was recently announced that companies have submitted proposals to turn the site into a cultural centre and museum – it is hoped by many that authorities will choose this option for the historical building, rather than the predictable hotel or shopping complex.

While British architecture is certainly the most prominent in the former capital, what is most impressive about the city is its range of architecture. All across town, modern, glass front office blocks and condominiums sprout up, but the city is still dominated by the more traditional aspects of Asian architecture, mixed in with further influences from abroad.

A little known synagogue sits in the middle of the city’s downtown area. Built in 1896, while still under British rule, the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue was built for the increasing number of Jews that were arriving from the Middle East region.

Once home to 2,500 Jews, many left during the brief Japanese occupation during WWII. Today, there are around 20 permanent Jewish residents in the city, but with an increasing number of visitors coming from abroad – both to live and visit – the synagogue is attracting an increasing number of worshipers.

Little known, too, is the Armenian influence, and it was two brothers – the Sarkys Brothers – from this region that built one of Yangon’s most prominent structures, The Strand Hotel, which was completed in 1901 and has checked in famous names including Somerset W Maugham, Mick Jagger and Oliver Stone.

A great number of Armenians emigrated across the Asian continent in the 17th and 18th centuries and, by the 19th century, many of those ended up in the country that we today know as Myanmar.

The Armenian Apolistic Church of St. John the Baptist is the most prominent Armenian structure that still stands today and attracts a few tourists thanks to its unique design. Completed in 1862, it is located on Bo Aun Kyaw Road, close to the Secretariat Building.

Add to these heavy influences from Central Asia, China, Hindu temples and traditional Burmese culture, and you find yourself in a city that offers as unique a mix of architecture as any city in the region.

The challenge now, as the city attracts unprecedented foreign interest and investment, is to ensure that these impressive structures are maintained. It goes without saying that some will fall foul. Some will deservedly be hauled down due to safety concerns, but what the government must ensure is that those that can remain standing are allowed to do so.

One Yangon citizen recently referred to the practice of “cultural genocide”, meaning that if structures that say so much about a city’s culture and history are torn down to make way for more generic modern structures, then that aspect of the city’s past could be lost forever.

The Yangon city planners must ensure that, as the city changes, this does not happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketing in Asia A Complex Choice

By
Aye Chan
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“The times they are a-changin,” warbled poet and songwriting legend Bob Dylan. Nowhere could that apply more than the dynamic, fast rising, booming and complex markets of Asia. The 21st century has been referred to as the “Asian Century” whereby Asian economics, culture and politics will dominate over the next 100 years as Britain and America ruled the 19th and 20th centuries respectively. What was speculation before is now emerging as reality, as more emphasis worldwide is placed on the growing economic powers of China, India, Japan, as well as East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. With nearly four billion people – home to about two out of three of the world’s population and projected to grow to five billion by the middle of the century – it’s no wonder that many western corporations and brands have either expanded existing operations here in Asia or have moved in belatedly. Local Asian brands have hunkered down to both defend their local markets and expand globally. What marketers are discovering about Asia’s rich and culturally diverse markets are unique, often complex branding challenges, as consumer attitudes and desires seemingly change as rapidly as the mobile phones Asian consumers cannot live without.

Make no mistake about it: Asians are responding to the influx of rapid worldwide technological development like ducks to water. Already, the largest percentage of the 1.6 billion internet users worldwide are in Asia. Over 90 percent of the world’s internet video games are conceptualized and produced in South Korea. Every global brand worth its salt has established a headquarters in Asia to capitalise on the regions veritable unlimited opportunities. It has not come easy; to most marketers, Asian consumers are more knowledgeable, more discriminating and curious, but with shorter attention spans. Except for Hong Kong and possibly Singapore, Southeast Asian markets and China are young markets. It is this attractive youth market – where brand loyalty is built – that marketers stand perplexed. These are energetic, ambitious, highly motivated, multitasking, upwardly mobile, much sought after youth with seemingly unlimited choices, determined, as other youth have done before them, to burn their own paths toward posterity. Marketers term these multitasking youths as “Millennials”. If you have teenage kids you will know them for their perplexing ability to watch television while doing homework and chatting online while listening to their iPods – they just seem so relaxed and at ease doing so.

Even “older” consumers have been caught up in rapid modernisation and instant communication. The mobile phone in Asia has become the most pervasive electronic tool by far, and will become even more so. In addition to the already countless functions mobile phones now carry, internet games, banking and cash cards are additional functions already in place in some leading Asian countries. You really will not be able “to leave home without” one.

Given the complexities of the target markets’ ever changing attitude and desires, marketers find themselves even more confounded with the growing list of media and advertising vehicles, whether traditional or not, to attempt to get over the equally increasing noise and clutter. Traditional marketing and its subsets of branding, distribution, pricing and advertising just aren’t enough anymore. One has to have Customer Relations Management (CRM) programmes to keep current target consumers satisfied. It’s not enough to build a brand image, personality and franchise system through traditional media anymore, but instead it has become more effective to develop your brand via the internet, mobile phones, event marketing and loyalty programmes. A brand has to become activated to be an integral part of the consumer’s life… at their clubs, bars, concerts and hangouts. Better yet, brands stage the events themselves. Sales promotions once deemed harmful to a product image if continually run are now disguised as loyalty programmes. Brands have to be ever present. The once broad line between brand building and hard selling has blurred. Some marketing gurus see the new markets as horizontal and not vertical anymore. Does that mean a less focused shotgun marketing approach is now the norm?

If one likened the Asian marketing world to an ever growing layer by layer onion, and this onion had a core of truths, that core would have seemingly been crushed under the weight of those countless layers by now. Are there no longer any branding or marketing truths to stand by? Have traditional marketing tenets gone the way of extinction? Not really… because when it comes right down to the core of that onion sans the layers of media options, CRM programmes, events, online and offline activities, loyalty programs and what have you, what you have still holds true to successful marketing, branding, advertising, distribution and pricing; meaning that one has to do their homework to establish product or corporate positioning. This means continuous qualitative and quantitative market research to fully understand what the target consumers desire and want demographically and psychographically. One has to understand what motivates their target consumers whether they are children, teenagers, young adults, mothers, businessmen or senior citizens, and the more one studies these different consumer segments, the more one realises that the core motivators for brand values almost always remain the same. Value for money is not solely about the practical mind, but about emotional value which can be about affinity, intuitions, prestige, status, etc. Peer affinity is always a factor with the youth market that never changes. They have to have their own music, clothes and language. Marketers should not let the layers of technological marketing development cloud out the core values of human motivation. A successful brand has a likable personality – like a human personality – that people can relate to. International brands like Coca-Cola, Sony, Levi’s, Nestle, Honda, Starbucks and HSBC understand the importance of a brand’s perceived value. People prefer to purchase brands they know and have an affinity with.

We can then say that the underlying branding truth underneath all these layers of “change” is that the core values of successful branding remain the same. Consumers make brand choices based on the perceived value of a brand and its personality. The growing challenge for marketers is to make sure that all the layers of their brand stay focused on the image they want the target market to perceive, whether it is a loyalty programme, a CRM programme, online, offline, brand activation or what have you. Every single layer of the brand thrust becomes part and parcel of its perceived image. In retrospect, branding is, in its most basic form, the understanding of human behavior. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is all about common sense. The rational and emotional behaviour of people has always been driven by the same forces. Stay focused and the choices may not be that complex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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