The puppetry art has existed in Vietnam more than 1000 years, the most strongly developed in the Ly- Tran dynasty (XI – XII centuries). According to the content described in “Sung Thien Dien Linh” stone stele in Ly Nhan Tong dynasty (1121).

 

Water puppetry is one of typical statge art of Vietnam culture- showing the intelligence, creativeness of people; being specialty of Vietname wet-rice civilization. Water puppetry includes two basic components: Puppets and water.

Puppets are made of wood and then lacquered to be watertight and endurable. During performances, puppets are controlled via a pole-and string apparatus hidden under the water surface by puppeteers standing in waist-deep water behind the stage.

On water stage mirrors, everything becomes sparkle, flexible, changeable in front of the audiences’ eyes. 

 

Water puppetry theatre is called Thuy Dinh, set up outside, including: 

 - Firsly: Water pavilion – occupied in the middle of the pond, there was a floating chamber of wood closed at the three sides with a wood screen hanging in the front. The puppeteers stood waist-deep behind the sreen in the water to manipulate the puppets. 

 - Secondly: Stage – the front of the screen was the square water stage of about 4x4m. There were low fences, which surrounded the state where puppets performed. 

 - Thirdly: The space for the audiences – the edge of ponds, the two sides of the stage, beneath the trees around ponds…   The water puppet theatre was the main place of the festival. The audiences were fascinated by the exciting atmosphere and beautiful surrounding of the fesetival. 

 

The water puppetry performance are various, includes: 

 - Everyday life activities of Vietnamese people; 

 - Healthy and useful entertainments; 

 - Plays setting examples of national heroes;  

 - Traditional opera plays (Cheo, Tuong).

     Water-stage used in puppetry art performances is a special thing of water puppetry art. The actions of puppets do not only depend on pole-and-string apparatus but also on the force of water as well as the system of rudders and floats in a “controlling machine” of the puppets. 

      In the water puppetry art, music is an indispensable factor which not only plays the role as bridge between two items but also affects the atmosphere of the shows. The main music used in the water puppetry performance is music of Cheo which is the specific traditional art in the Northern plain. The main musical instruments used in the water puppetry art are: drum, two-stringed fiddle, flute, drum kit, 16-chord zither or monochord. In the water puppetry performance, many kinds of firecrackers were also used such as crackers, fireworks, powder-filled paper strings, duck-shape firecrackers.

         Through water puppetry plays, rural people also expressed their desire for a better life of prosperity and happiness. In current times, water puppetry has become a popular form of entertainment, especially for local children and foreigners who want to discover more about Vietnamese folk culture.