How water puppets work: what to know

The water is the stage

A water puppet show is staged on a pool, not on a dry stage. Traditionally, performers used flooded rice fields and village ponds, and the stage was a water pavilion, called a thủy đình, built in front of a communal house or pagoda. Today's theatres build a pool with a screen at the back styled like a temple facade. The water does several jobs: it hides how the puppets are moved, it throws back the light as shimmer, and it helps the sound carry. The Vietnam Puppetry Theatre goes further and describes the water as a character in the show, not just a surface the puppets sit on.

How the puppets are worked

Puppeteers stand in waist-deep water behind the screen, out of sight, and work each figure with a long bamboo rod and hidden string mechanisms under the surface. The puppets are carved from fig wood, which is light and soft. The wood is soaked until it stops absorbing water, then coated in red lacquer so it resists the pool. Large figures can weigh up to about 15 kg. Each troupe traditionally kept its techniques as secrets passed down inside the troupe, so every guild had its own puppets and plays.

Where it comes from

Water puppetry comes from the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam. Farmers there turned flooded fields into a stage in the off-season, in spring and at festivals. The earliest written evidence is a stone stele at Long Đọi Pagoda in Hà Nam province, dated 1121, which records people performing water puppets to celebrate the king's long life. Historians place the art's roots in the Lý dynasty, around the 11th century, or earlier. That northern origin is why Hanoi has long-running theatres of its own, and why a Saigon show is a staged version of a tradition from elsewhere.

From village pond to city theatre

Over time the art moved from village festivals into professional theatres and onto international tours. The Vietnam Puppetry Theatre dates its first foreign tour to 1984 and says its troupe has made hundreds of trips to more than 40 countries. Vietnam recognised water puppetry as national intangible cultural heritage in 2012. The Golden Dragon is a theatre-based show in the south: a staged performance of a northern art form, not a village ritual. Seen that way, the pool, screen and rods are the old method, and the seats, lighting and ticketing are new.

What you hear

The music is live. A traditional orchestra plays through the show, with drums, cymbals, wooden bells, gongs, bamboo flutes and the đàn bầu, a one-string instrument. Singers in the style of chèo, a northern Vietnamese folk theatre tradition, narrate the action, and musicians sometimes call out warnings or encouragement to the puppets. Chèo is satirical and often includes dance, which fits the comic tone of many scenes. Our live music guide goes through the instruments one by one.

Read next: The Live Orchestra Behind Every Water Puppet Show

What you see on the water

A clown-host called Chú Tễu usually opens the show as narrator, a figure with a round body and a mischievous smile. Scenes then draw on rural life and Vietnamese folklore: harvests, fishing, festivals, legends and national history, often with a comic twist. This production's scenes include a farmer guarding ducks from a fox, the legend of the restored sword, a dance of the four sacred animals, a boat race and a fairy dance. Our scenes guide explains each type.

Read next: Water Puppet Show Scenes, Explained

Language and following the story

The dialogue and songs are in Vietnamese, and no subtitles or translated narration are listed for this show. The puppet action, the music and the scene types do the work for visitors who do not speak the language, and a quick read of the usual scenes is enough preparation. Because the water hides the mechanism, you cannot see how a figure is moved, so what you follow is the action, not the technique. If you want to know whether any translated notes are offered on the day, ask the theatre's ticket office before you go, because the sources disagree and none of them is the theatre's own.

Length, timing and arrival

The show runs about 45 minutes. Allow longer overall, since the booking page gives a duration of 45 to 75 minutes. Arrive about 15 minutes before the start with your voucher, digital or printed, ready for the box office. Latecomers cannot enter once the performance has begun. The start time depends on the date you choose, so use the time on your booking confirmation rather than a time you saw on another page, because published times differ. If you are pairing the show with dinner, plan to eat before or after: no meal is listed as part of the booking.

What to wear and bring

No dress code is listed. The booking recommends comfortable shoes, and that is the only item on its what-to-bring list. Flash photography is not permitted in the theatre, and cameras are listed as not allowed, so plan to watch rather than film. Bring your voucher on your phone or on paper. Everyday clothes are fine for a seated show of this length. Keep your voucher easy to reach, and expect to put your camera away once the performance begins.

Children, access and getting there

The theatre's website lists a separate children's theatre, Smile (Nụ Cười), at the same address, with its own shows and contact details. The water puppet ticket here is a different booking, and its participant options appear when you choose a date. Neither the theatre's website nor the booking page gives accessibility details, so contact the ticket office before booking if you need step-free access. For a taxi, give the full address: 55B Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Bến Thành Ward, District 1.

Who this isn't for

Skip this show if you want to follow the dialogue in English, or if you need to arrive late or stay flexible about the time, since latecomers are not admitted. It is short and visual, so it will not suit anyone wanting a long evening, and you will need to plan dinner elsewhere. And if you want to see the art form in its home region, a Hanoi theatre is closer to that than a Saigon one. For a first look at the tradition, in a city you are already visiting, this show does the job.