TNH

Art, any form of art, will mean many things to different people. Each of us will appreciate different art in different ways. Water Puppets is one such art-form that is surely not what it once used to be. But that does not make it any less an art than anything else.

If you go into the Water Puppets expecting a tacky tourist show, you will probably get what you expect. If you go in remembering that Vietnam has a different (and much longer) history, culture and ideology to our own, there is every chance of appreciating highly skilled artists performing their show.

It's amazing how scathing some people can be of the Water Puppets when, in reality, those same people would probably pay extortionately higher prices to go and see a fairy-tale on stage, like Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz, or Cats... And marvel at it to all their friends. Just a fairy tale really when you think about it.

Here, I think the musicianship is outstanding. Playing ancient instruments, together, holding melody and harmony, is not easy. I think it's fantastic. Combining singing with verbal dialogue during the same piece is not easy - ask any recognised opera singer.

Operating puppets, behind a screen, in waist-deep water whilst ensuring each puppet interacts with the others at the right time and sequence, to tell a 'scripted' story, is simply impressive. It's not that hard to work out the story lines if you try, despite the language barrier (who really thought it would be in anything other than Vietnamese???).

This is not for everyone, that much is for certain. But it is a rich part of Vietnamese cultural heritage that visitors deserve to see and appreciate.

Having said all of that, we will be going back again soon with more visitors, which may represent somewhat of a challenge... The excitement will be watching a four year old girl being fascinated by dancing puppets - on water!!! Sometimes we need to forget we are adults and remember our childhood fascinations.

A definite must see when showing visitors around Hanoi, the water puppet theatre is great great place to take people when the weather is not at it's best.

Price for tickets here is 40,000 for 2nd class, 60,000 for 1st class and 100,000 for front row seats. Having tried 1st class before and trying front row this time, I have to say shilling out the 100,000 per person is well worth it for the chance to stretch out your legs and not have your view blocked.

Tickets sell out early, so definitely go a few days in advance of when you want to see the show so that you have the pick of the seats. You have almost no chance of getting a ticket for the same day.

The performance itself is very good and it's great to watch such a traditional art form that is completely different to anything back home. The closest thing I can think of is a Punch and Judy show and the scale of the effort here is far far greater than that.

The water puppets are very much a tourist thing and tourists make up the majority of the audience. This makes the expats cringe and with good reason, however I was quite impressed with the show.

First off it is a very unique and interesting art form, the puppeteers were very talented and the whole thing exhibited a level of professionalism that is rarely seen in Vietnamese entertainment.

The music was excellent and very interesting, being around Vietnamese students, I don't get to hear a lot of the traditional stuff.

The other thing that was great was the little in jokes they put in that go over the tourists heads. The one I remember was a puppet "smoking" thouc lao.

Overall the water puppet show was a surprisingly enjoyable experience. The only downside was the touristy feel of the place.

I found the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre without any problems and got a ticket for the 15.15 show, $3, which included a cassette of the show's music. I went back to my room and had a shower and changed clothes before I left to see the water puppets. My seat was on the front row, so I was able to take good photos. I didn't know what to expect from the show, but it was fantastic. I laughed out loud many times and truly enjoyed it very much. The show consisted of 17 short stories accompanied by Vietnamese music, which was not only suitable for the show, but also magical. The orchestra played some instruments, which I have never seen before. I felt that the show was over too soon and could have watched the puppets for another 75 minutes

One of the few traditional forms of entertainment available for short term visitors in Hanoi. The set is a pool of water, musicians to the left on a raised stage, small set halfway over the pool to hide the performers and stadium seating going back. Buy tickets A or B 4-9, to actually be able to see the show well. The tickets are 60k for " premium " seats, 40k cheap, and 20k to take photos with another 50? to record on a video camera. Playbills in over 10 languages, and smiling staff. Good to take visiting family and friends, traditional sight of Hanoi. Warning: if you live here every time you see the show it will probably drop a star, so see it once, and enjoy it because after half a dozen times it can be a bit of Vietnamese water torture.