Dao Thuc Village is one of the oldest cradles of Vietnamese water puppetry. This art was created and taught by the founder of the craft, Nguyen Dang Vinh, and has a history of about 300 years. Dao Thuc is proud to be one of the oldest water puppet troupes, persistently preserving and developing this precious artistic heritage. This small village on the banks of the Ca Lo River has become an important cultural address, preserving the soul of traditional Vietnamese water puppetry.

Water puppet stage where water puppetry is performed in Dao Thuc puppet village.

Dao Thuc village is always open to welcome visitors, but to enjoy the special water puppet performances, visitors need to contact the puppet troupe in advance to arrange. Before each performance, the atmosphere at the water pavilion becomes bustling. The artisans meticulously prepare, check each wooden puppet, arrange them carefully, ready for the sublime moment on the water stage.

The puppets are carefully arranged in preparation for the performance.

When the traditional music resounds, the wooden puppets seem to have souls, gliding quickly on the water surface under the skillful control of the artisans hiding behind the bamboo blinds. Behind the flexibility and liveliness of each puppet is a process of hard work, good coordination and skillful technique. They skillfully move, pull the strings, create rhythmic movements, breathe life into each wooden character, recreating folk tales and scenes of daily life in the Vietnamese countryside in a lively and attractive way.

The puppeteers of Dao Thuc village coordinate harmoniously to create eye-catching performances.

Not only stopping at performing, the artisans of Dao Thuc village also hand-craft wooden puppets. From the mischievous and humorous Teu to the hard-working farmer, the diligent buffalo, the graceful fairy... each puppet has its own shape and color, skillfully carved and painted by the talented hands of the artisans. It is this meticulous craftsmanship that bears the distinct mark of Dao Thuc, contributing to the uniqueness of each performance.

Dao Thuc village artisans also make wooden puppets by hand.
The plays are performed.

Each performance at the troupe usually lasts about 45 minutes, including many consecutive plays, one play overlaps the other seamlessly, without the need for an introduction in between, drawing the audience into a colorful and magical folk world . Up to now, Dao Thuc is still proud to preserve and perform the unique traditional performances that have made the name of the puppet troupe such as: "Buffalo plowing"; "Get on the hammock and get off the horse"; "Teu catch evil"; "Fighting foxes and catching ducks", ... Each performance makes the audience, from children to the elderly, watch attentively, constantly admiring and enjoying.

When the final performance ended, the artists came out from behind the bamboo blinds together, clapped and thanked the audience.

Dao Thuc water puppetry in particular and Vietnamese water puppetry in general have reached a unique artistic level, carrying high spiritual value. Not only is it an attractive form of entertainment, enriching the cultural life of the people, it also creates deep, unforgettable impressions in the hearts of international tourists when they have the opportunity to visit, contributing to promoting the image of a Vietnam rich in identity and full of charm to the world./.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/dao-thuc-noi-hon-cot-roi-nuoc-lang-que-viet-ngan-vang-966574