[ 越 南 ]
- Vietnam -

Water puppetry (múa rối nước) is a traditional form of puppet theatre in Vietnam with almost a millennium of history, and is currently the only water puppet tradition in the world. The stage is built on the water surface. Performers, in the water coming up to their waists and behind the backdrop, control wooden puppets with long strings or bamboo rods to perform various movements and deliver stories. Nowadays, water puppetry is popular among Vietnamese society, and often serves as the representative of Vietnamese traditional culture on the stage of international cultural exchange.

There are two possibilities pertaining to the origin of Vietnamese water puppetry. Some think water puppetry is associated with Southeast Asian rice cultivation culture. The others believe that water puppetry was brought to Vietnam from China. No matter what its origin is, the development of water puppetry is certainly closely connected to its geographic location and environment. Vietnamese water puppetry first appeared in the Red River Delta area which is surrounded by lakes, ponds and rice paddies. During the slack period or when rivers overflow, farmers would build tents in the water, and have puppet shows as entertainment. Puppet theatre is also commonly seen at village celebrations and religious festivals. According to records, water puppetry was already an exquisite and vivid form of performance during the Ly Dynasty, and became a court performance.

Water puppetry first appeared in the record dated back to 1121 A.D. which depicted the performance at Emperor Lý Nhân Tông’s (1066-1127) birthday celebration. The descriptions included turtles swimming in the water and fairies dancing on the surface of the water, resembling today’s water puppet theatre in Vietnam.

Water puppetry once declined when France invaded Vietnam during the late 19th century, and reexperienced destruction during the Second World War and Vietnam War. Later, it was through collaborations between puppeteers in the countryside and professional actors in the cities that this performance tradition was able to be passed on to date.

Currently, professional water puppet theatre includes the Vietnam National Puppetry Theatre and Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi, and The Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater in Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition to water puppetry, there was also the development of rod and glove puppetry under the influence of the Soviet Union in the 1980s.