Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is the city's principal water puppetry house, at 57B Dinh Tien Hoang in Hang Bac Ward, on the northeast shore of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Lacquered wooden puppets are worked on hidden bamboo poles across a waist-deep pool by puppeteers standing behind a bamboo screen, while a live orchestra of dan bau, bamboo flute, drums and gongs plays and cheo singers narrate. Roughly 50 minutes of vignettes cover rice farming, fishing, dragon dances and the legend of the returned sword of Hoan Kiem, so the show doubles as an introduction to Red River delta folk culture. The audience is a mixture of international visitors, tour groups and Vietnamese families, of all ages, and the atmosphere is family-friendly, seated and attentive. There is no dress code; casual clothing is appropriate. The music is traditional Vietnamese, played live throughout. There is no drinks programme in the sense of a bar, and this is a theatre rather than a nightlife venue, though it suits an early-evening outing before dinner. Shows run daily at 15:00, 16:10, 17:20, 18:30 and 20:00, with the box office opening from 08:30. Tickets cost about 100,000-200,000 VND, or USD 3.85-7.69, depending on the seating tier, and there is no bottle service or cover charge beyond the ticket. Advance booking is advisable for the evening sessions, particularly in the peak tourist season, and tickets can be booked through the theatre's website or bought at the box office. Seats nearer the front give a closer view of the puppets, but also a chance of splashes, and the orchestra sits to the side of the stage. The theatre's position beside the lake makes it easy to combine with a walk around Hoan Kiem before or after the performance.