Hanoi promotes puppetry to become a cultural and creative product bearing Thang Long's identity.

The puppet shows showcase the blend of traditional art and Vietnamese folk music. (Photo: THANG LONG PUPPET THEATRE)

The puppet shows showcase the blend of traditional art and Vietnamese folk music . (Photo: THANG LONG PUPPET THEATRE)

In recent years, along with socio-cultural planning, the city has strongly expanded creative spaces from pedestrian streets, public spaces to craft villages and craft streets. Many old factories and warehouses have been converted into art complexes, creating an environment for artists and the creative community to meet and experiment.

In this flow, water puppetry - a form of art that bears a strong Vietnamese identity, is identified as one of the core elements for developing urban cultural products. Hanoi is researching the direction of bringing puppetry out of the traditional stage space to integrate with design, fine arts, handicrafts, souvenir products, etc. to help puppetry reach a wider audience and expand the market, especially with tourists .

The unique water puppet show is associated with the brand of Thang Long Puppetry Theatre. (Photo: THANG LONG PUPPETRY THEATRE)

Many localities and units in the area have built "creative spaces" dedicated to artisans, painters, puppeteers and designers to collaborate and experiment with new materials and forms. Thanks to that, puppets have many new products such as mini puppets, handicrafts, gifts, applied designs... both preserving traditional features and meeting modern aesthetic needs. This process helps folk art become cultural and creative products with economic value, expanding the target audience.

Hanoi has identified transforming puppetry not only for preservation but also to exploit Thang Long-Hanoi culture as a creative resource. The city’s cultural and tourism development policies are encouraging art units, creative businesses and artisans to participate more deeply in this process.

In recent times, the city has continuously organized festivals, exhibitions, design-creation events, craft streets, etc. where puppets and handicrafts are displayed, performed, and sold. This has helped traditional arts become part of daily life, changing the concept from “festival specialties” to “cultural-creative products with practical value”.

Creative spaces are increasingly widespread in urban areas and craft villages. Many art complexes such as Complex 01, Design 282 and creative hubs have become destinations for artists, designers, craft communities and young entrepreneurs, creating a new cultural ecosystem that helps artisans, people with disabilities and creative groups have more livelihood opportunities.

The art performance was well received by Japanese audiences. (Photo: THANG LONG PUPPET THEATRE)

With its long history, massive relic system, thousands of craft villages and large creative community, Hanoi has great potential to turn traditional cultural products into creative goods with economic value. However, the transformation process still faces difficulties in terms of equipment, market, creative capacity and public demand. The city needs mechanisms to support artisans, protection policies, capital support, promotion and market linkage, while maintaining traditional identity.

In the future, if Hanoi continues to promote its strengths in creative space, support policies and market demand, it is entirely possible to form unique cultural and creative product lines from puppetry and traditional handicrafts. This will be an important direction to turn the identity of Thang Long-Hanoi into an economic and cultural resource, contributing to the sustainable development of the capital.

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