The short version
The Inya Lake area feels greener and more open than the old centre, but it is not a continuous lakeside neighbourhood in the way the name can suggest. Water, campuses, large compounds and major roads shape the edges. The appeal is space and a slower visual rhythm; the limitation is that those same features can make short journeys indirect.
A lake inside a busy city
Inya Lake is a real change of scale from downtown. The water and mature vegetation provide a horizon rare in the inner city, while the surrounding districts connect to universities, established residential streets and the commercial corridors of Kamayut and Yankin. It is a good setting for someone who wants daily life to include a little more open air without moving far out.
The lake should not be confused with a seamless public park. Access changes from one stretch to another, and large plots interrupt the street network. An address near the water may be peaceful but not necessarily practical for errands on foot.
Would I live here?
I would if the routine suited the western or northern inner city and the actual building gave easy access to shops and roads. Inya Lake is one of Yangon’s more gracious settings, but its value lies in the exact relationship between home, water and the route out, not in the district name alone.