Water Puppet Show, Hanoi

When we reach Hanoi we are taken to the Hanoi Water Puppet Show. Lien has purchased tickets for all of us in advance. The Water Puppet Show is a unique experience. I have never seen another performance like it.

Invented during the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225), the water puppet show is unique to Vietnam. Rice fields during growing season are submerged in water. At some point someone had the idea that the pools of water on the fields would be a great place for a show. The ponds and lakes of the northern plains, where crowds gathered during festivals, become the lively stages for the water puppet shows. Puppets are made of wood and coated with waterproof paint. Each puppet is handmade, has its own posture, and expresses a certain character.

The stage is beautiful. It stands in a small pool of water to represent the fields where it was born. Everything is handled with bamboo sticks beneath the water. Singers sit on the side and do all the spoken parts while traditional Vietnamese music plays. Performers hide behind the main curtain and manipulate the puppets, then come out for a bow at the end

Today the Puppet show is a reflection of the past. It shows stories of farmers, of religion and of folk stories. Music in the show is played and sung by a live traditional Vietnamese orchestra. Everything is in Vietnamese, but it is still wonderful.