Originally performed in rural villages on lakes and ponds as a ceremony to pray for water to nourish the rice crop, water puppet shows also serve as a traditional form of Vietnamese entertainment in vogue as far back as the eleventh century. Nowadays the water puppet show is a great way to understand traditional Vietnamese folklore as the puppets dance out vignettes, or small stories, of daily life.

This afternoon take a short drive to Mr. Liem’s house to begin your unique water puppet show experience. Mr Liem will warmly greet you, introducing you to the history of the water puppets as you start exploring his workshop. The shelves are lined with wooden puppet parts such as angel wings, buffalo tails and puppets of all shapes and sizes. He has built a smaller-scale water puppet theatre where you can enjoy a private performance telling both Ancient and modern stories of traditions and daily life. After the show, roll up your sleeves and try to make the dragon puppet chase its tail and spit water. After playing with the puppets spend time getting crafty and start painting your own puppets – try out the range of different colours and make your own unique water puppets. This tour is a great opportunity to gain deep insight into a local craft and rural traditions while having an unforgettable unique, behind-the-scenes experience.