Safety in Myanmar

The overall situation: the political situation remains unstable, so keep your route to the established tourist areas. Avoid Rakhine and Kachin states, where armed conflict continues, and check your own government's travel advisory before booking anything.
Theft: street crime is low, but keep an eye on your pockets in crowded parts of Yangon. Do not pull out a thick wad of cash in an ordinary shop.
Checkpoints: travelling between cities by bus means document checks at military posts. Foreigners are generally treated politely; they look at the passport and the entry stamp and wave you on.
Health: medical care is weak and anything serious means flying to Thailand. Carry a reliable supply of rehydration salts, antidiarrhoeals, painkillers and dressings.
Mosquitoes: dengue is carried here, especially in the rainy season. Use high-DEET repellent and sleep under a net wherever one is provided.
Water: never drink from the tap, and do not use it for brushing your teeth either. Bottled water with an intact factory seal is sold everywhere and costs almost nothing.
Power cuts: rolling blackouts leave city streets very dark at night. Carry a torch or use your phone so you do not put a foot into a broken pavement or an open storm drain.

Myanmar is in a state of civil war, and discussing tourist scams here is beside the point: the country is not a destination for an ordinary trip. The overwhelming majority of governments advise their citizens against all travel to Myanmar.

What is happening. Since the 2021 military coup, fighting has continued between the army and armed groups. Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah and Karen states and the Sagaing region are affected — most of the territory. Airstrikes and artillery are used, roads are closed, and airports shut without warning.

Practical risks instead of "schemes". Arbitrary detention of foreigners, confiscation of equipment and phones at checkpoints, internet shutdowns lasting weeks, and no way to withdraw cash — international cards do not work in the country and money must be brought in as US dollars.

Fraud of a quite different kind. The areas bordering Thailand have become a centre for so-called scam compounds, where people are lured by fictitious job offers and held by force. Any offer of work in Myanmar, or "in Thailand near the border" with fast paperwork, is that.

If a trip is nonetheless planned, the only workable approach is an organised group with a local operator monitoring conditions daily.

Martial law and arbitrary detention. The country is run by a military administration. Foreigners have been detained over social media posts, photographs of soldiers, political conversations with locals, and simply on suspicion. Judicial guarantees do not function in the usual sense.

Photography. Military installations, checkpoints, soldiers, police, government buildings and any protest situation are categorically off limits. Your phone may be inspected at a checkpoint, and the contents of your gallery matter.

Internet and VPNs. A cybersecurity law restricts VPN use. Access to social media is blocked and the internet is shut off across whole regions.

Images of the Buddha. As in Sri Lanka, Buddha tattoos and images in inappropriate contexts have led to arrests and deportation of foreigners. The cases are documented.

Drugs. The law is severe, up to the death penalty for trafficking.

Landmines. Myanmar is one of the few countries where anti-personnel mines are still being laid. Do not leave roads and paths in conflict-affected areas.

Insurance. Standard policies exclude countries with active hostilities. Check the wording: you are most likely not insured in Myanmar at all.

The healthcare system has collapsed. This is the key fact. Since the coup a large share of doctors have left the public hospitals, medicine supply is disrupted, and medical facilities in conflict areas have been struck. You cannot count on medical care inside the country.

Evacuation. International medical evacuation from Myanmar is difficult: flights are limited, airports close, and insurers do not fly into conflict zones. In practice this means a serious injury or illness may have no solution.

Vaccinations. Hepatitis A, typhoid, rabies and Japanese encephalitis are advised. A yellow fever certificate is required from arrivals out of endemic countries.

Malaria and dengue. Malaria occurs in rural and border areas, including drug-resistant strains. Dengue is widespread.

Water. Bottled only.

Cash and medicines. International cards do not work. Bring all necessary medication in sufficient quantity: buying it locally may not be possible.

Earthquakes. The region is seismically active, and damage from tremors is compounded by the state of the infrastructure.

Myanmar sits at the very bottom of the Corruption Perceptions Index, and law enforcement is carried out by the military administration.

Checkpoints. Numerous, including on tourist routes. Documents, bags and phones are inspected. Stay calm, do not argue, do not film.

Curfew. In force in a number of regions, with hours changing without notice.

Consular help is limited. Many countries have reduced their presence in Yangon, and their capacity to help a detained citizen is small. This differs fundamentally from the situation in an ordinary country.

Where people definitely do not go. Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, northern Shan, Kayah, Karen, Sagaing, and the areas bordering Thailand and China. The list changes, and conditions deteriorate faster than advisories are updated.

If you are there anyway. Register with your country's consulate, keep cash and document copies in two places, have an exit plan and spare time, take part in nothing public, and do not discuss politics with locals — that is dangerous above all for them.

The honest conclusion: in 2026 Myanmar is not a place for a tourist trip.