Water Puppets

It was the last evening of my trip with my mom to Vietnam, and we were going to the theater.

The Lotus Water Puppet Theater, that is!

Múa rối nước, or water puppetry, is one of the most iconic traditional performing art forms from the Red River Delta area in northern Vietnam. With records of this popular performance dating back to at least the 11th century, water puppetry has long been a part of the culture of northern Vietnam.

The 50-minute show began with a singing performance of Vietnamese folk songs accompanied by musicians on traditional instruments. Then, the puppet show began!

Water puppetry as an art form developed in the flooded paddy fields. Villagers would entertain one another as they worked hard harvesting the rice with stories told by elaborately lacquered wooden puppets.

Today, the performance is given in a flooded pool of probably about 2 feet of water. The puppeteers are hidden behind a screen to maintain the illusion of the puppets, which they control with long bamboo poles.

The performance was broken up into several short segments, each telling a different story. Some stories told of village life. 

Slapstick, I have found, is a universal language. During one segment, a human actor came out to interact with the puppets. Portraying a rural farmer, the man tried desperately and humorously to protect his flock of ducks from a hungry fox, all the while being scolded for his clumsiness by his wife.

Other tales relayed ancient Vietnamese legends.

At one point, the show told the legend of Hoan Kiem Lake, where a puppet of the emperor himself rode out on horseback before boarding a boat to meet the magic turtle.

(You can read more about the legend here: The Blog of Michael Desrosiers: Hoan Kiem Lake and the Jade Mountain Pagoda)

Yet another performance delved into the religion of northern Vietnam with a portrayal of the Mother Goddess religion, or Dao Mau, the oldest recognized folk religion in Vietnam. A puppet representing one of the young spirit mediums which are the cornerstone of the religion came onto the stage while dancers, holding flaming candles, spun around her.

Read more: My wife and I meet a Dao Mau spirit medium at a UNESCO-sponsored cultural performance: The Blog of Michael Desrosiers: The Mother Goddess

At one most impressive moment, a pair of dragons spitting fire from their mouths leapt and dove across the watery stage.

Projections on screens set to either side of the stage explained the historical and cultural context of each performance in English and French respectively, and every moment of the show was accompanied by live traditional music. If you've only got a brief time in Hanoi, this is one of the most worthwhile things you can do! It's a fantastic way to introduce yourself to Vietnamese culture and history, and it's a lot of fun too.