As of October 2nd, Hoi An Theatre in Hoi An City will entertain locals and tourists with a water puppetry program every Friday and Saturday evening.
On the evening of September 28th, such a program was debuted by Hoi An Culture and Sports Centre, Quang Nam province.
Built in 2014 by the Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the program, “Hoi An water puppetry arts”, hopes to serve tourists visiting the old quarters of Hoi An, and its experimental performances have received much applause from local people and tourists at home and abroad.
Apart from familiar acts including fishing, boat racing, and dances of four supernatural creatures, the Hoi An centre has designed many new acts typical of Hoi An culture such as the Apsara dance and the legend of the successful fight against the river monster who caused floods in Viet Nam, earthquakes in Japan and natural disasters in India.
The program is expected to help attract more tourists to the beautiful city of Hoi An by the Hoai River, and to help popularize and preserve the traditional culture of Hoi An.
Water puppetry first appeared in the Red River Delta in the 10th century and has been present in many cities and provinces nationwide. This Vietnamese folk art has been appreciated by both domestic and international tourists, especially kids.