Unique & Interesting Water Puppet Show

Water puppet show & its original history

Water Puppet Show is a very unique art form created by Vietnamese Peasants in the Red River Delta. Dated back from 11^th century, thanks to farming environment with a lot of river system, ponds & lakes in the delta, when finishing rice harvest, the farmers invented their part-time entertainment by using different special puppets performing in the water environment with supporting tools of string & poles to tell their stories of farming activities or their daily life. Time passing by, local people have preserved this art form till now in spite of being only limited to a few villages in northern Vietnam. This tradition is unique to North Vietnam but has recently found its fame on stages all over the world; so it’s a nice choice to see the puppets perform in their original location at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre when doing your trip to Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam

The show of water puppet

The special element of water puppetry is the use of the water surface as a stage for performance. The stage for performance which is a space in front of the puppet house is called puppet house or water house ( Thuy Dinh), and built in the pond or lake with balanced architecture symbolizing the communal house roof in Vietnamese rural areas. By performing the old traditional water puppet show, daily activities and customs of Vietnam peasants are vividly expressed.
The puppeteers stand behind a curtained backdrop of puppet house and control the puppet with a strings & bamboo poles hiding under the water surface. At some point, they discovered that the water was an excellent medium for puppetry: it not only concealed the puppeteers' pole and string mechanisms, but it also provided exciting effects like waves and splashes

What to see in a water puppet show.

The water also provides the best setting for the puppeteers' theme: day-to-day village life such as farming, fishing, frog catching, buffalo fighting, and children's games of swimming contest .Besides village life, scenes include legends and national history of Hoan Kiem lake, four holy animals of phoenix, turtle, dragon & unicorn. Performances of up to 18 short scenes are accompanied by a Vietnamese orchestra playing traditional music using drums, wooden bells, horns, bamboo flutes and cymbals. There are also authentic Vietnamese folk songs telling the story that is being acted out by the puppets.

Water puppet stage & puppeteers

Where to see water puppet show

Watching water puppet shows, the audiences will feel the atmosphere of village festivals reflecting locals’simple dreams in Red Delta.Thanks to local and international shows, Vietnam puppet performers have made a very large contribution to promoting a unique art of Vietnam to regional and global friends.
There are a few theaters with water puppet show in Hanoi such Truong Trinh theater (far from the downtown), Bong Sen Theater (limited seats & shows) & Thang Long Theater.Among them, Thang Long Water Puppet Theater is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hanoi with many daily shows during the day and its location right in Hanoi old quarter.To have a good view of the performance, it is our advice to get the tickets of the front-lined seats ( 5 usd)  closer to the stage.The theatre is modern and usually shows 18 short sketches over a 45 minute performance.

The location of Thang Long Water Puppet Show

In order to enjoy this interesting show, you can book the tickets yourselves or it is a better way to take part in our guided Hanoi city tour operated daily to explore different famous attractions in Hanoi, including with water puppet show.This Hanoi Tour surely provides you with valuable insights of Hanoi’s history, culture & people.For more information about Hanoi capital or Hanoi tour packages,feel free to drop us an email to [email protected], we will feedback you with useful consultancy for your enjoyable vacation in Hanoi, Vietnam.