If you are in Hanoi, then experiencing Hanoi Water Puppet Show is a must !! You will find posters of water puppet show in each of Vietnamese city but if you want to experience the best Water Puppet Show in Vietnam, then head to Municipal Water Puppet Theater once you are in Hanoi. Puppeteers (from back-stage) control the puppets with large bamboo rods hidden under water. They do it so perfectly that puppets look live as live humans – jumping, walking, fighting, swimming and doing all kind of aerobatics over water surface.
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Here is the video of snippets from Hanoi Water Puppet Show at Municipal Water Puppet Theater (Also known as Thang Long Water Puppet Theater Hanoi)
History of Vietnamese Water Puppet Art
This unique art form of Vietnamese Water Puppetry (Múa rối nước) is at least 1000 years old but was virtually unknown outside of Northern Vietnam until the 1960s. It originated with rice farmers who worked with the flooded fields of the Red River Delta. Some say they saw the potential of water as a dynamic stage; others say they adapted conventional puppetry during a massive flood. Whatever the real story, this is a unique art form from the past of Vietnam that still enthralls both locals and tourists alike (inputs from Lonely Planet)
Pictures of Hanoi Water Puppet Show
Though pictures alone can not capture the excitement of Water Puppet Show, still they will help you get a glimpse. Real joy is in experiencing playful puppets performing on water surface at the tunes of Vietnamese folk songs and music.
Water Puppet show is a combination of multiple small performances including dragon puppets, folk stories and mythological instances. Please note that show is held only in Vietnamese (No English Shows). You do not get a lot what folk singers are singing but still you enjoy the show to the fullest with the performance of water puppets.
It’s not only the water puppets that enthrall audience but equally amazing are the artist who play folk music and sing Vietnamese folk songs as puppets perform on water stage.
Where is Water Puppet Show performed in Hanoi?
Hanoi Water Puppet show is performed at Municipal Water Puppet Theater (Also known as Thang Long Water Puppet Theater Hanoi).
Hanoi Water Puppet Show Timings and Ticket Prices
Daily 6 Water Puppet Shows are performed. Morning Show timing differs on weekends –
- Mon to Fri – 9 AM, 3 PM, 4:10 PM, 5:20 PM, 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM
- Sat and Sun – 9:30 AM, 3 PM, 4:10 PM, 5:20 PM, 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM
There are 3 categories of tickets: i) Front Row Seating – VND 2,00,000 ii) Middle Row Seating – VND 1,50,000 iii) Last Rows Seating – VND 1,00,000. Please buy your. Theater is really good with nice sound system so you can go for even VND 1,00,000 tickets. Back seats are not too far and you will easily be able to enjoy show. In case, you are looking to capture videos/photographs, you may spend extra to get front seats. VND 1,00,000 tickets are booked pretty fast, so book a day in advance.
We hope that this helps you plan your trip to Hanoi Water Puppet Theater better. Please feel free to drop us comments in case you need any additional information or want to share more with our fellow travellers.