Unique art of Dong Ngu water puppetry

Puppeteer prepares puppets to perform.

Dong Ngu water puppetry reflects the humble life of people in northern Vietnam’s Red River delta. Spectators are intrigued by folk tales and “Quan Ho” love duets that are unique to this troupe. The themes include offering betel, going to the pagoda, playing on a swing, and playing the flute while herding buffalos.

Founded in the 10th century and revived in 1958, these water puppet performances have primarily entertained the people of Dong Ngu and nearby villages during festivals. A statue made of jackfruit wood is preserved by the Dong Ngu villagers to honor the founder of local water puppetry.

A private character of Dong Ngu water puppetry is that most repertoires are using folk singing. Dong Ngu village can produce diverse, sophisticated and perfect puppets for its repertoires. Dong Ngu puppets are usually made of light wood, fine grain and free from notch such as teak wood, timber wood or fig wood. Dong Ngu ward has created more than 200 types of puppets for its performance.

For years, Dong Ngu puppet ward and Luy Lau puppetry troupe (Dong Ngu puppetry) have participated in many puppetry festivals and achieved high awards. Most prominently, the troupe achieved the first prize in the amateur Puppetry Festival 2002 (in Hanoi), the second prize at the Hue Puppetry Festival 2004, the third prize at the 5th National Puppetry Festival 2011 in Hai Duong.

The Provincial People’s Committee recently approved a VND17 billion (US$734,000) project on preserving and promoting the cultural values of Dong Ngu water puppetry. Implemented from 2018 to 2020, the project is also designed to support the setting up and upgrading of performing spaces, theatres, and a sound system in the village.

Thanks to the efforts made by local puppeteers and support from the local authorities, the road to a brighter future of Dong Ngu village’s unique form of water puppetry is wide open.