VIETLAND HOLIDAYS

Water puppetry is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Today's Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the ancient Asian puppet tradition.

Over the course of 60 years of establishment ad development, the Vietnam Puppetry Theater has secured its brand name and status as a tourist attraction for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors.

The Vietnam Puppetry Theater set over 100 plays (both long and short), including various plays and excerpts of great quality. With three troupes of puppeteers, the theater always meets the needs of a wide range of the audience. Over years, the theater hits the milestone of 1,000 shows/ year with hundreds of plays in a wide range of styles and genres such as water puppetry, stick puppetry, ventriloquism, marionette, mask puppetry or shadow puppetry…

Some plays earned the Vietnam Puppetry Theater its existing fame such as “Soul of home”, “Andersen Fairy Tales”, or “Dance of the Orchid Cacti”… In the World Puppetry Festival in Thailand in 2014 that featured 85 countries, its show “Beats of home” of the theater won the first prize.

Beside, the theater also researches, revives ad enhances dozens of traditional water puppetry plays, supports both professionally and materially water puppetry quarters and helps establish puppetry troupes across provinces and cities nationwide. The theater has performed domestically and international contests.

Water Puppetry is a unique legacy of the Vietnamese people in the Red River Delta, In water puppet performances, a puppet theater is necessary

The theater consists of a stage and a backstage area, and is built on a pond. The space on the water, in front of a bamboo set, is used as the performing stage. Standing at a backstage in water behind a baboo curtain , puppeteers operate the puppets using a system of ropes and poles installed under the water, The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. Audience can not see them but the puppeteers can observe and manipulate the puppets. According to a traditional rule, to keep a professional secret, no one is allowed to see the puppeteers in the backstage while they are performing.

Today, Water Puppet is a great show which is considered as a "must see" show, when you visit Vietnam, normally a show lasts 45 minutes, and all the stories are about the farming activities in Vietnam villages. The theme of the skits is rural and has a strong reference to Vietnamese folklore. It tells of day-to-day living in rural Vietnam and Vietnamese folk tales that are told by grandparents to their grandchildren. Stories of the harvest, of fishing and of festivals are highlighted.

Legends and national history are also told through short skits. Many of the skits, especially those involving the tales of day-to-day living, often have a humorous twist.