Perhaps uniquely, the Vietnamese have a form of puppet theatre that is staged on water. The tradition is said to have originated in the flooded paddies of the Red River Delta, and to date back nearly a thousand years. The puppets, carved from wood and painted in eye-catching colours, are manipulated using bamboo rods by hidden puppeteers wading chest-deep in the water.
This evening’s performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre opens to a near-capacity crowd. The action begins with the arrival of Chu Teu, our impish puppet-narrator, and – somewhat to my surprise – I find the entire production quite enthralling. The various skits are short, full of colour and energy: there are dancing water sprites, a water buffalo race, twirling dragons, a coconut harvest – an enchanting mix of myth and folklore woven into traditional village life. And then there are the pyrotechnics: sparklers, flaming hoops, floating candles – quite a feast for the eye!
The final skit retells the old legend of a carp that overcomes an arduous upstream journey to become a soaring dragon. As the little carp succeeds, the house lights suddenly come on and the puppeteers emerge to perform a rousing dragon dance.
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