Doing Business in Myanmar

Doing business in Myanmar is probably very different from other countries according to its distinctive culture, behavior and history influence. Some comprehension of doing business in Myanmar will help us better when you start your business in Myanmar or cooperate with people.

Formalities
Shaking hand is common among businessmen, however it is not polite if you shake hand with a woman unless she is active to offer you her hand.
Like other business formalities, exchanging business cards is commonplace and you should spend a short time to read the information on the cards.
How to do business
In general, when you do business in Myanmar, it requires an effort to be patience as well mutual trust. At the beginning, everything seems very slow in this country but you will get use to with the way your staff keeps on with his work.
A great flexibility for work is requested as it is not really strict “ yes is yes” here. You may need to contact the person in charge several times to finalize a matter.
Burmese people tend to get more friend through work as they are very hospitable so simply adopt yourself with the new environment, you will get the best.
Another rule that you should notice is the business and politics are dominated by men more than woman and people keep the strong respect for the elders.

Financial Issue and Infrastructure
There is a big improvement for finance background since the country open: the country has more banks, accept credit card payment, however, in general, it is still somewhat backward.
Money transfer and other relating process needs certain patience and you should expect interruption according to many unexpected reasons.
For infrastructure, it is moving forward though slowly. Electricity supplier, transport, mobile is not so reliable at the time we wrote this article.
Do not trust public transportation, taking a cab instead.
Try to use both international phone and Myanmar sim card to ensure your communication.

Language
Depending on the places you do business, basically, English is widely spoken but you may also witness people speaking well Chinese in Yangon and Mandalay. 
Of course, if you can speak Burmese at least some phrases, you will have better advantages for your business.

Dressing
The local businessman often wear longyi and a T shirt. While businesswomen should avoid wearing things that show her shoulders or legs, foreign businessmen can wear trouser, jean  and be flexible with the clothings provided you look smarts.
It is common to take your shoes off when entering an office.