Dala is a small township located in the South of the Yangon River. Standing in contrast to the busy streets of Yangon, Dala’s dusty roads and cheerful villagers blissfully oblivious of their poverty-stricken lives, are worth experiencing. It is relatively close to the urban hub of Yangon (1.5 km away) with only a 10 to 15-minute ferry trip from Pansodan Jetty in downtown Yangon will bring visitors to Dala Township just across the Yangon River. The ride offers good views of the city’s riverfront and one can enjoy the bustle from the cheery vendors on board at the ferry.
Top Sited in Dala
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Local Trishaw Experience ![]()
A truly Dala experience by the traditional mode of transport (Trishaw) is commonly used by the locals. These open-air, pedal-powered vehicles are a combination of a bicycle and sidecar which has two back to back seats for two passengers on the left side of the driver. Myanmar Trishaw is quite different from others in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia.
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Dala Morning Market
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Dala morning market. This daily, outdoor market is always filled with farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, meats and locally caught fishes, as well as all manner of consumer goods from clothing to household items.
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Chu Chu Workshop
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Chu Chu is a Myanmar social enterprise re-designing waste material into beautifully handcrafted household goods and personal accessories. Chu Chu members gather plastic bags from the dumping sites and markets in Yangon and work to develop new designs that meet the local and international market demand.
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Orphanage Monastic School
The visit to the monastic site allows observing the religious schools which help the basic education needs of the nation, particularly for kids from destitute families and vagrants – filling the noteworthy hole in the education scheme. The young elementary students in villages go to the buddhist religious communities to gain literacy and numeracy abilities just as learning the Master Buddha’s lessons. Thus, the religious school gives an educational program instruction and moral guidance for the children. They may have ceased their position as main educational providers for many years but their input is still important in Myanmar in the 21st century.
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Shwesayan Pagoda
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Dala’s most important landmark, the Shwesayan Pagoda. The centerpiece of this temple is a mummified monk who passed away around 150 years ago and is now encased in a glass enclosure. Local legend claims that the mummified monk magically opened one eye around 10 to 12 years ago as a warning to the villagers of an upcoming cyclone in Thailand.