What is water puppetry and where did it originate?
Water puppetry is a folk stage art unique to the Vietnamese people, in which wooden puppets perform movements on the surface of water while artists stand behind a screen or puppet chamber, controlling them with a system of poles, strings and mechanisms inside the puppet. It is not merely entertainment; it is regarded as a distillation of the wisdom of Vietnam's wet-rice civilisation, tied to rivers, seasons and village festivals.
The fundamental difference between water puppetry and other puppet forms is that the stage itself is water. Water is both the performance medium and the element that conceals the control mechanism. Viewers see puppets rise, dive and move, but never see the hands of the controllers. That gap between the visible and the hidden is what gives this art its particular appeal.
The thuy dinh and puppet chamber: how is the stage designed?
The thuy dinh (water pavilion) is a structure built in a pond or lake, usually with a curved roof, wooden columns and a floor raised above the water. Behind the pavilion is the puppet chamber, where artists stand to control the puppets. The chamber is enclosed with curtains, wooden panels or screens so that viewers cannot see the technical manipulations.
This structure explains why water puppetry is tied to village space. The communal pond, courtyard and lake in front of temples become a natural theatre. When the Vietnam Puppet Theatre or local troupes build on-site water pavilions, they recreate the very spatial model this art form developed centuries ago.
A modern performance pavilion still keeps the basic principles: water as stage, chamber as backstage, and enough distance between audience and water's edge to preserve the element of surprise. At the Luy Lau Folk Culture Conservation Area (Bac Ninh), artisan Nguyen Thanh Lai built a water pavilion as an on-site venue for the Luy Lau water puppet troupe, after renting 5,000m2 of local land and using an additional 1,000m2 of family residential land from 2009.
How are water puppets made and controlled?
Water puppets are made of wood, carved into figures of people, animals or objects, then painted and fitted with internal control mechanisms. The puppet's body is often hollow or has a compartment for strings, joints and pivots. Thanks to this mechanism, a puppet can turn its head, swing its arms, bow, jump, or perform more complex actions such as climbing.
There are two main methods of control:
- Pole control: the artist uses a long pole connected to the puppet, pushing, pulling and rotating from behind the chamber. This is common in many traditional troupes.
- String control: a system of pull strings allows the puppet to move further from the chamber and perform more fluid movements.
Dong Ngu puppetry is known for combining both strings and poles. As a result, puppets can travel far from the chamber, perform more movements and come closer to the audience. Dong Ngu's puppet mechanisms are also more intricately crafted so puppets can climb using both hands and feet.
Making puppets is a meticulous process. Each puppet carries a different story, so the artisan must choose the shape, colour, costume and mechanism suited to the skit it will perform. Artisan Nguyen Thanh Lai notes that beyond performance style and skits, troupes also distinguish themselves by the appearance of their puppets.
Chu Teu and the character system in water puppetry
Chu Teu is the familiar opening character of many water puppet acts. The figure of Chu Teu is usually associated with a greeting scene that leads the audience into the performance. In Dong Ngu puppetry, the show opens with Chu Teu's greeting, followed by other acts.
Besides Chu Teu, troupes also use several other character groups:
- The four sacred creatures: dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix, symbolising familiar cultural values.
- The buffalo: tied to wet-rice agriculture.
- Region-specific characters: for Dong Ngu, these include Quan ho male and female singers, a dragon boat carrying them, and the mouse wedding.
Differences in characters are one of the identifying marks of a troupe. The same skit, such as boat racing, may be performed by each troupe with different puppet designs, colours and movements.
Classic skits and notable acts
Water puppet skits often draw on rural life, festivals, folk games and old tales. Some acts frequently mentioned in current troupes include:
| Skit group | Notable examples | Main content |
|---|---|---|
| Opening, greeting | Chu Teu's greeting | The Teu character appears and leads the show |
| Folk games | Boat racing, swinging, palanquin procession | Reenacts games and village festivals |
| Cultural life | Picking areca to offer betel | Tied to Quan ho culture in Bac Ninh |
| Folk tales | Mouse wedding, Sun Wukong | Draws on old and folk stories |
| Daily life, humour | The lazy cat, farewell | Humour and everyday closeness |
In Dong Ngu puppetry, the act of picking areca to offer betel shows the distinctiveness of Quan ho culture. Under the water, the puppet climbs and picks areca. On the shore, female singers perform Quan ho and offer a betel tray to guests. The combination of water puppetry and Quan ho singing gives this troupe its own identity.
Beyond classic skits, artists of the Luy Lau Water Puppet Troupe have created new acts reflecting the beauty of Bac Ninh culture and a contemporary spirit, such as the mouse wedding, palanquin procession, swinging, farewell, Sun Wukong and the lazy cat.
Music and the role of the artist behind the water screen
Water puppetry cannot be separated from folk music. Drums, two-string fiddles, cheo or Quan ho singing set the rhythm for the puppets and keep the audience focused on the action on the water. For Dong Ngu puppetry, Quan ho singing is indispensable, to the point of becoming the troupe's identifying mark.
Behind the chamber, artists endure harsh working conditions. Artisan Nguyen Thanh Lai shares that some performances require being submerged in water for long periods, in weather of 7 to 8 degrees Celsius. The greatest encouragement is the audience's applause, which helps artists keep the fire of their craft and pass enthusiasm to the next generation.
An artist's skill is not only in control technique. They must also know the skits, understand the musical rhythm, coordinate with singers and drummers, and handle situations when a puppet malfunctions on the water.
Why is water puppetry considered a heritage of wet-rice civilisation?
Water puppetry is tied to rivers, fields and village festivals. Water is not only a performance medium but also a symbol of agricultural production, where rice, buffalo, harvests and folk games coexist. For this reason, the art form is often cited as evidence of the sophistication and vitality of Vietnamese traditional art.
In modern life, the gap between young people and traditional cultural values risks widening. Programmes such as "The Soul of Water" by the Vietnam Puppet Theatre are built as journeys of emotional connection, so the public is no longer a passive audience but steps directly into the world of water puppetry.
This programme has three experiential spaces: "Soul of Folk Colours", where participants paint rustic wooden puppets themselves; "Shapes of Flowers in a String", where participants decorate and assemble puppets from beads, fabric and hair; and "Engraving a Mark", where participants' names are engraved on the very product they helped create. The highlight is the show "Emotions of Long Thanh", directed by People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, combining water puppetry, dry puppetry and contemporary art forms, with ca tru influences renewed.
Preservation today: how many water puppet troupes are still active?
According to information from the Luy Lau water puppet troupe, Dong Ngu puppetry is one of 14 water puppet troupes still active. This number shows that traditional troupes have shrunk considerably compared to their past flourishing period.
In Bac Ninh, the Provincial People's Committee approved the project "Preserving and Promoting the Value of Dong Ngu Village Water Puppetry, Ngu Thai Commune, Thuan Thanh District" with the aim of honouring, preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of this art form. The project ran from 2018 to 2020, with total funding of nearly 17 billion VND. After the project, local authorities rebuilt facilities for water puppet performances such as the water pavilion and cultural house, and funded the troupe to invest in stage, music system and puppets. The troupe also strengthened training, craft transmission and attracting local young people.
The Luy Lau Folk Culture Conservation Area now has more than 1,000 different puppets, enough for 3 troupes to perform simultaneously. The Luy Lau water puppet troupe initially had 10 members; after more than 10 years it has 30 participants, divided into 3 troupes, performing over 700 shows annually, each lasting about 45 minutes, across localities nationwide.
Challenges and development directions
Preserving water puppetry faces several challenges. First is human resources: the craft demands specialised skills, harsh working conditions and income that is not always attractive. Second is audience: relying only on village festivals limits viewer numbers. Third is creativity: keeping classic skits unchanged may make content unfamiliar to young people, but changing too much may erode identity.
Current development directions include:
- Bringing water puppetry into schools, tourist sites and cultural events to reach young audiences.
- Combining water puppetry with dry puppetry and contemporary art forms.
- Promoting through social media, fanpages and Zalo to reach a wider public.
- Training and transmitting the craft to the next generation locally.
People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the Vietnam Puppet Theatre, stresses that the younger generation is not only the audience but the successors who will continue to safeguard and rekindle the flame of passion for national cultural heritage. This view reflects a preservation approach tied to reception: heritage truly lives when today's generation receives it, values it and continues to tell it in the language of their own time.
Points to note when learning about water puppetry
When researching or enjoying water puppetry, readers should clearly distinguish between troupes, because each has its own characteristics not only in skits but also in performance style and puppet appearance. For the same boat racing act, Dong Ngu's performance may differ from others due to its combined use of strings and poles.
It should also be noted that figures on the number of troupes, performances or preservation funding often change over time and by locality. The data in this article reflects information recorded at the time the sources were published, not continuously updated statistics.
Finally, water puppetry is an art form with technical and cultural depth. Full appreciation requires viewers not only to watch the puppets on the water but also to understand something of the crafting process, control mechanism, accompanying music and the festival context to which it belongs.
