Naypyidaw

Myanmar · 4 sights · guided virtual tour

Welcome to Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. It is unusual among the country's cities: it is an entirely planned city, and it does not belong to any state or region. Once known only as Pyinmana District, it officially replaced Yangon as the administrative capital on 6 November 2005, and its name was revealed to the public on Armed Forces Day in 2006. Naypyidaw is the seat of the government, home to the parliament, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace, and it is known for its vast size combined with a very low population density. Let us explore.

Sights

1. Uppatasanti Pagoda ▶ Listen

   Before you rises the Uppatasanti Pagoda, also called the Peace Pagoda, a prominent landmark of Naypyidaw. At 99 metres high, it is a nearly same-sized replica of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, and it houses a Buddha tooth relic. Construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2009. The name roughly means protection against calamity. It comes from a sutra prepared by a 15th-century king of the Lanna Kingdom, to be recited in times of crisis, especially in the face of foreign invasion.

2. Naypyidaw Water Fountain Garden ▶ Listen

   

   Welcome to the Water Fountain Garden, a 67 hectare garden near Naypyidaw City Hall, entered through a steel archway. Wander around the main pond with its three fountains, and the 11 smaller ponds with 13 more fountains between them. Along the way you will find a 30-foot clock tower, stone gardens and recreation areas, all linked by footpaths and a buggy road.

3. National Museum of Myanmar ▶ Listen

   Here near the Kumudra roundabout is the National Museum of Myanmar in Naypyidaw, a modern museum devoted to Burmese art, history and culture. It is one of two national museums in the country, alongside the older one in Yangon. Construction began in 2010, and the museum opened its doors on 15 July 2015.

4. Naypyidaw Zoological Gardens ▶ Listen

   

   Our final stop is the Naypyidaw Zoological Gardens, the largest zoo in Southeast Asia, covering 247 hectares beside the Yangon to Mandalay highway. It opened on Armed Forces Day in 2008 with about 420 animals brought from the Yangon zoo. Look out for elephants, tigers and white tigers, leopards, zebras, kangaroos and a hippopotamus. And here is a surprise: the zoo even has an air-conditioned penguin house.

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