Watch water puppetry through AR technology at the Hanoi Museum.

On the morning of December 13th, the exhibition THE ARt of WATER officially opened at the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center (Hanoi Museum), offering the public the opportunity to access traditional water puppetry through augmented reality (AR) technology.

The exhibition is part of the Ngoc Thuy Dinh project, a media and art project undertaken by a group of print journalism students from the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Academy of Journalism and Communication, with the mission of preserving and spreading the heritage of water puppetry by combining traditional elements with modern digital technology . The project aims to open up new perspectives, helping the heritage become more accessible to contemporary life, especially young people.

Traditional water puppets are on display at THE ARt of WATER exhibition.

At the opening ceremony, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, Director of the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center, assessed the project as an interesting idea, demonstrating the passion, knowledge, and organizational skills of students in approaching cultural heritage. The Center hopes that partnering with projects like Ngoc Thuy Dinh will contribute to bringing traditional cultural values, including water puppetry, closer to the community.

Meanwhile, Head of Organizing Committee Nguyen Minh Trang emphasized that technology does not diminish the core value of the heritage; on the contrary, it opens up opportunities for the heritage to spread more widely in the current context. Through the exhibition, the organizing team hopes to awaken pride, appreciation, and awareness of preserving the art of water puppetry among the public, especially the younger generation.

z7222665155416_ed5d66723b125400d12394482c7fe1dd(1).jpg — Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, Director of the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

The highlight of THE ARt of WATER is the application of AR technology in the exhibition space. Instead of just displaying traditional documents and artifacts, the exhibition allows visitors to use their smartphones to scan QR codes in the experience zone.

Immediately, miniature models of the water puppetry pavilion, characters, and storylines will appear on the phone screen, creating a vivid, engaging, and realistic visual experience, as if stepping into a miniature version of the water puppetry pavilion right in your hand. The organizers stated that AR technology provides experiences that allow viewers to directly witness the characters, setting, and storylines of water puppetry in a more vivid and intuitive way.

z7222665155416_ed5d66723b125400d12394482c7fe1dd(2).jpg — By scanning a QR code with their smartphone, audiences can observe moving water puppet models, water-based scenery, and familiar stories recreated in three-dimensional space.

Besides the technological experience, the exhibition also displays a system of documents, images, models, and artifacts related to water puppetry, helping the public better understand the formation process, crafting techniques, and cultural value of each performance. According to the organizers, combining the display of documents with digital experiences aims to create a space for dialogue between tradition and modernity, where heritage can not only be "seen" but also "touched" and explored .

z7222665155416_ed5d66723b125400d12394482c7fe1dd(3).jpg — The exhibition area showcases documents about the history of water puppetry.

Models and artifacts related to water puppetry.

Audiences can use their phones to scan the QR code behind each model to experience AR technology.

A model of the Le Loi water puppet show on a boat.

The exhibition THE ART of WATER will take place from 8 am to 5 pm on December 13th and 14th, 2025, and will be open to visitors at the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center, Hanoi Museum.

Source: https://congluan.vn/xem-mua-roi-nuoc-qua-cong-nghe-ar-tai-bao-tang-ha-noi-10322441.html