Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is a renowned cultural theatre located at 57B Dinh Tien Hoang Street beside Hoan Kiem Lake in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Established in 1969, it is dedicated to preserving Vietnamese water puppetry, an art form originating in the Red River Delta. The theatre stages daily performances on a water stage with wooden puppets, live traditional music and storytelling depicting rural life, legends and festivals.

Visitors can expect a small indoor theatre with a waist-deep pool serving as the stage where lacquered wooden puppets perform on water. Shows last about 50 minutes and feature 15-17 short vignettes accompanied by a live traditional orchestra with drums, wooden bells, bamboo flutes and singers. Puppeteers stand behind a bamboo screen and manipulate puppets with long rods. The venue is centrally located by Hoan Kiem Lake, with tiered seating, air-conditioning and English program leaflets.

The theatre was established in 1969 in Hanoi to preserve and stage water puppetry, a traditional art form that originated in the Red River Delta villages of northern Vietnam as early as the 11th century during flooded rice paddy seasons. It has since become the most well-known venue for this art form in Vietnam.

The theatre plays a central role in preserving and promoting Vietnamese water puppetry as intangible cultural heritage. Performances depict traditional rural life, folklore, legends such as the Legend of the Restored Sword, festivals and dragon dances, accompanied by traditional Vietnamese music, and are an important cultural experience for domestic and international visitors.