With a history spanning over a thousand years, Vietnamese water puppetry is a folk art form rooted in natural water sources. It depicts the daily lives and history of the Vietnamese people through its dynamic and vivid performances, making it one of Vietnam’s most distinctive traditional stage arts.
Vietnamese water puppetry typically involves two types of puppets: stick puppets, which are manipulated using wooden rods, and string puppets, which are controlled by strings. Stick puppets are the primary method used in water puppetry performances, while very few puppet troupes combine both types in their shows.
Water puppets are handcrafted, featuring intricate structures and vivid expressions, offering both aesthetic appeal and entertainment. The materials used in making water puppets are carefully chosen, with fig tree wood being the preferred choice due to its lightweight, buoyant properties, resilient fibers, water resistance, and durability against insects. Typically, puppet makers select fig trees that are two to three years old. Crafting a water puppet involves a series of detailed steps, including carving, shaping, soaking, drying, and painting.
The images of water puppets are inspired by everyday life, and brought to life through meticulous carving and coloring that make the puppets appear vivid and realistic. The characters often represent ordinary people from various walks of life, such as cowherds, farmers, boatmen, officials, and even fairies wearing lotus flower hats.
Once completed, the puppets have movable joints in their hands and feet, allowing them to perform a range of actions including jumping, walking, and even executing complex stunts like breathing fire or spraying water.
In water puppetry performances, the puppeteers are hidden behind bamboo curtains, with their lower bodies submerged in water throughout the show. They use their strong arm strength to control the puppets. In contrast, the musicians remain visible to the audience, dressed in traditional Vietnamese attire. They play an integral role, not only singing and narrating the story but also enhancing the performance with their instruments. The array of instruments used includes the đàn bầu (monochord), bamboo xylophone, long drum, suona (a type of horn), large drum, huqin (a bowed string instrument), and cymbals, most of which are traditional Vietnamese instruments.
Vietnamese water puppetry draws on a wide range of sources and has evolved to include local historical legends, religious stories, and rural anecdotes, many of which are familiar to the common people. Notable performances include the well-known “Le Loi Returns the Sword” (also called “Sword Lake”), which recounts the story of Le Loi, the founder of the Later Le Dynasty, returning a sacred sword. Other popular scenes are “Four Beasts Dance”, “Phoenix Seeking the Queen”, “Catching Frogs”, “Rice Planting” and “Fairy Dance”.
In addition, Vietnamese water puppetry also incorporates many stories related to Chinese folklore, such as “Wu Song Fights the Tiger”, “Journey to the West”, and “The Three Kingdoms”. Since the 1980s, as water puppetry took on a role in international cultural exchange, well-known Western classics like “Snow White” and “The Three Musketeers” have also been included, offering fresh and innovative performance themes.
Today, water puppetry has become a cultural “bridge” for Vietnam, attracting numerous international visitors who come to experience this unique art form.
