Water puppet show (múa rối nước) is a famous traditional Vietnamese art with more than 800 years of history; it’s a unique heritage from the Red River (Sông Hồng) region in northern Vietnam.
The water puppet shows are predominantly in Vietnamese (language) and showcase the folklores and legends in Vietnam. Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi is probably the most famous place to watch the show.
I was lucky to get a seat during my Hanoi tour in July 2008, as there was only a few seats left when I purchased the ticket. It’s advisable for future visitors to get the tickets early in the day before going to the show in the afternoon/evening.
To be honest, I slept at the middle of the show… my fault though; the air-conditioned theatre was a bit too comfortable in contrary with the scorching 34°C summer heat outside. Apology to my neighbouring audiences if I snored unintentionally :p
Still, I managed to watch large part of the performances. The traditional music and puppetry were truly one of a kind; it was a wonderful cultural experience despite not understand a single word… worth a go for Hanoi visitors.
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this show should be very interesting. I wish i can watch this live instead of over the tv shows only.
You will get the chance, no worries. Didn’t know that it was shown on TV though.
yeah i always seen this adv over the tv hehehe.
That’s so unique!
Hello, first time visiting. :)
Hello cc.
am i the only one who thinks the puppet look freaky? but very unique.
No you aren’t the only one. I always think puppets are freaky looking, lol. …and unique.
They always look like something on a horror show or Twilight zone etc to me. Like Chucky. :0
Waiting to see if one comes to life all of a sudden. ;)
haha, i think dolls and clowns are more freaky.
You guys have been watching too many movies lol.
haha chucky, that one is classic dude!
hi, how do i prebook the ticket? any website to go to? is it a everyday show?
The website is http://www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org/
But I am not sure if they offer any online booking. Some travellers that I met said that they made the booking via phone (number available at the website), you can try that… the least you can do is to get the tickets asap when you reach Hanoi and then watch it later.
As far as I know it’s a daily show. Enjoy :)