Vietnamese puppetry art conquers Russian audiences

VHO - Within the framework of the Vietnam Cultural Festival 2025 with the theme "Vietnam - Colors from the tropics", a series of cultural diplomacy activities taking place from July 25 to August 3 in Russia left unforgettable impressions.

In particular, the art of land puppetry and water puppetry has become a prominent highlight, a vivid symbol of Vietnamese cultural identity, contributing to shining the image of the country in the journey to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

For the first time, Vietnamese puppetry art appeared in front of Russia's Red Square.

Every day here, talented Vietnamese artists bring to the Russian audience 3 land puppet shows and 3 water puppet shows. This is an opportunity for the audience to witness firsthand the unique Vietnamese culture, a typical representative of the Red River Delta, where people are closely attached to nature, agriculture and rivers...

The content of traditional water puppet shows is taken from legends and folk tales in history such as dragon dance, phoenix dance, fairy dance, spiritual dance, besides praising the beauty of nature, people, beauty in labor, always containing optimism, positivity, love of life...

On the mossy green water, the performances - although always renewed - still retain their original charm with puppets depicting dragons, phoenixes, farmers, buffaloes, and plows in daily activities.

Along with the exotic tropical water puppetry, the dry puppetry creates many surprises and leaves a strong impression on the audience. The performances not only introduce Vietnamese culture and music , but also combine with classic Russian works such as Swan Lake, Kalinka... thereby, Vietnamese traditional art and Russian music blend together, creating a lively and attractive Vietnamese-Russian art harmony, a closely connected image of the culture and people of the two countries.

In particular, at the outdoor stage, the inclusion of dance art along with water puppetry and land puppetry has made the performances more graceful, layered and colorful.

Russian audiences enjoy Vietnamese water puppetry

Sharing his feelings about the first time Vietnamese puppetry appeared in the Red Square area of Russia, People's Artist, Director of the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre Nguyen Tien Dung expressed: "This location and event are historic, we do not easily have a second chance, this is thanks to the affection and friendship between Vietnam and the Russian Federation over the past 75 years. We are extremely happy to witness the enthusiastic welcome and response of the Russian public, especially to water puppetry".

According to People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, what impressed him most was that Russian audiences are very enthusiastic and love art, especially traditional art. "Performing abroad will definitely be more difficult, but it is also an honor for us artists to represent the country to promote the beauty of traditional art to international friends," he emphasized.

During the rehearsal before leaving for Russia, Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly advised the artists: "Our water puppetry is very strange and unique. However, if we go on tour for the second or third time, we need to have a new program. You must always be creative and innovative while still preserving the spirit of tradition."

As an artist and always passionate about bringing traditional Vietnamese art to international friends, Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly reminded the director to pay attention to every detail of drawing puppet faces, and to research "innovations within the framework" to make the performances more graceful and natural.

Water puppetry, a unique art form that has existed in Vietnam for more than 1,000 years, is honored as a cultural masterpiece of the nation and humanity. Despite the many changes of history, this art form has been preserved intact with its traditional characteristics. In the digital age with a series of breakthroughs in the fields of entertainment and performance, it is the preservation of identity, the skillful blend of rustic sculpture, painting, folk architecture and sophisticated traditional music... that has created the enchanting appeal of Vietnamese water puppetry.

Under the sparkling lights of Red Square, when witnessing Russian audiences of all ages patiently waiting for hours to see the water puppet show, encountering the bright eyes, endless applause and many compliments for Vietnamese folk art, pride surged in the hearts of each artist.

But more than joy, it is also responsibility - the responsibility to constantly create, keep the flame alive and spread the value of thousand-year-old traditional art to the world. At this year's Festival, Vietnamese water puppetry is not simply a performance but is undertaking a sacred mission: to further strengthen the friendship between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/nghe-thuat-mua-roi-viet-nam-chinh-phuc-khan-gia-nga-156847.html