Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is the place to go to experience a traditional Vietnamese water puppet performance.

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The theatre itself is not traditional—shows used to be performed in rice paddies—and a few bells and whistles have been added these days, but otherwise the hour-long show is the real deal, with live traditional music thrown in as well.

A little piece of Vietnamese arts history. Photo taken in or around Thang Long Water Puppets, Hanoi, Vietnam by Samantha Brown.

A little piece of Vietnamese arts history. Photo: Samantha Brown

Water puppetry in Vietnam is documented as far back as the establishment of Thang Long (Hanoi) as the capital of the country 1,000 years ago, although it may have existed even before this. After 1010, legend has it that the country went through a stable period, with no wars, and handicrafts were able to flourish. At the same time, festivals and ceremonies became popular, providing an opportunity for artists to perform puppet shows both on land ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 500 words.)

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