I’m a theatre girl. I hold a bachelors and masters degree in theatre arts and was active in the theatre community for many years. My husband shares this passion, so needless to say we were beyond excited to see attend the Water Puppet (Mua Roi Nuoc) theatre in Hanoi. We arrived at the theatre, chose our seats and exhaled. Just being in a theatre, on the other side of the world, was comforting and homey.

Sure, the water puppet show is a tourist attraction and there are many shows per evening to accommodate the tourists, but it’s still an experience rich in culture, history and tradition. Water puppetry began with farmers in the North putting on shows in rice paddies and ponds. Today it is performed in a pool of water that is the stage. Puppeteers stand in the water behind a screen and control the puppets with long pieces of bamboo and strings.

The musical accompaniment to the show is mesmerizing. There is a full Vietnamese orchestra and singers who narrate and accent the stories being told by the puppets. The musicians play traditional instruments and there was information given about the instruments in English. The Water Puppet show is rich in Vietnamese folk lore and tells the stories of rural life in Viet Nam.

The curtain call consists of the puppeteers emerging from behind the screen to take a bow. It was overall just a fascinating experience and I highly recommend going. We loved it so much that we now have an old wooden water puppet on display in our living room.