Watching The Water Puppets At Thang Long Theatre

Posted by : foongpc | Tuesday, April 21, 2015 | Published in

ADVERTISEMENT


One activity you must not miss in Hanoi is watching the water puppets show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Located at the northeastern bank of Hoan Kiem Lake, this theatre is the place to go to enjoy Vietnam's ancient art of water puppetry.

My friend and I had bought the tickets for the 8pm show at the box office in the morning. Yes, you need to buy your tickets that early so as not to be disappointed later in case there are no seats left.

We were there around 15 minutes before the show starts. As we were early, we managed to have a good look at the theatre hall before it got all dark.

 photo P1210542_zpsef2nlici.jpg

The theatre was pretty modern with rows of standard theatre-style red cushioned chairs. And the stage was not a stage as in a normal theatre, but a pond!

 photo P1210543_zpsvrgk4qfc.jpg

Beside the pond/stage on the left side of the hall is a platform where a small orchestra consisting of traditional instruments performs.

 photo P1210544_zpsls0cugt6.jpg

The show started with a short instrumental performance and a brief introduction in Vietnamese language. Then the water puppets came out on the water, and I was hooked.

I did not take many pictures during the show as it was too dark to take proper pictures. Besides, there were many people in front blocking the view. Perhaps I should try to get the front seat next time.

 photo P1210545_zpsdhdyert9.jpg

The whole show lasted about under an hour and there were many acts showcasing different stories and using different puppets. Some of the stories were quite humorous although I have to say I did not fully understand them as they were not translated to English.

 photo P1210546_zpssynnw2se.jpg

Still, I enjoyed the show and I also like watching the orchestral players and vocalists performing. It was actually quite amazing to see the puppets coming to life and to imagine how they were being made to move around on the water.

 photo P1260653_zpsujqzppfw.jpg

Ticket was reasonably priced at 100,000 VND (US$4.65) but if you want to take pictures, you need to pay an additional 20,000 VND (about US$1).

 photo P1260663_zpse8im2t4d.jpg

There were souvenirs in the form of water puppets on sale outside the theatre hall but I did not buy any. Would I return for another show in future? Yes I would and I actually did when I visited Hanoi again just last month, but that would be a story for another post!

 photo P1260664_zpsuedtyhbq.jpg

Note : I was supposed to be blogging about Joma Bakery, but had to put that on hold as I realised the pictures taken were not as clear and sharp as I would like them to be. I will still be blogging about it, but maybe with less pictures? Let's see about that! :)