National_Geographic_Traveller_India-May_2018

THE ITINERARY VIETNAM

36 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | MAY 2018

ROBERTUS PUDYANTO/CONTRIBUTOR/GETTY IMAGES

(1),

VIETNAM/GETTY IMAGES

(2),

THI/SHUTTERSTOCK

(3),

VIETNAM STOCK IMAGES/

SHUTTERSTOCK

(4),

BLAINE HARRINGTON III/GETTY IMAGES

(5),

in northern Vietnam. A temple,
supposedly built between the 12th to
15th centuries, in the village of Bảo
Hà in Hải Phòng province has statues
which move with the help of concealed
mechanics, similar to the way water
puppets do, leading to the belief that
the village is the birthplace of the art
form. Traditionally, ponds and flooded
rice paddy fields after harvest were
stages for these communal shows, with
villagers standing in waist-deep water
to manoeuvre the puppets.
Carved out of fig wood and coated
with lacquer, these figurines weigh
anywhere between 5 to 15 kilos. A
long rod attached to the base or back
of the puppet is used to steer them
over the water. Today, water puppet
shows are conducted in special stages
in theatres indoors and puppeteers
usually stand behind the screen—
usually fashioned to look like the
facade of a pagoda—and manoeuvre
their puppets. Performances are usually
accompanied by a live orchestra of
drums, cymbals, horns and flutes as
well as singers of chèo, a traditional
Vietnamese opera. Each theatrical
piece is different and depicts various
things from scenes of rural life to folk
tales and mythological stories.
I experienced my first water puppet
performance at the Thang Long Water
Puppet Theatre near the Hoan Kiem
Lake in the heart of Hanoi. Established
in 1969, it is one of the country’s
oldest theatres and has trained many
generations of puppeteers. The pool
is centre stage, the lights lending it a
shimmering unearthly aura. Flanking
the stage are balconies where the
singers and musicians sit, dressed in
colourful áo dài, traditional silk tunics
worn over trousers.
The show began with a performance
by the drummers, followed by the
arrival of the Teu, the jester-narrator.
The Teu, very much like the sutradhaar
of Indian theatre forms, keeps
reappearing to introduce characters
and plots. The performance was in

Vietnamese, as is traditionally done,

and while music often transcends the

barriers of language, I wished for a way

to translate the jester’s and characters’

jokes, most of which were lost on the

largely non-Vietnamese crowd.

Stories changed from the everyday to

the fantastical. A common, and one of

the longest, stories performed in water

puppet shows is that of the Hoan Kiem

Lake, right by the Thang Long theatre.

It speaks of a 15th-century Vietnamese

hero Lê Lợi who led a revolt against the

Chinese Ming empire and was assisted

by an enchanted sword. His sword

was eventually claimed by the Golden

Tortoise God of this very lake and since

then it has been known as Hoan Keim,

the Lake of the Returned Sword.

There were also numerous other

big and small stories, many with

pastoral scenes of fishing, farming,

weaving bamboo baskets and farmers

chasing away foxes from their duck

pen. Legendary creatures like dragons

and phoenixes also made appearances,

with one of the most impressive

pieces involving floating dragons. The

instrument-heavy music has simple

vocal interludes. Combined with the

interplay of the water stage and lights,

it created a stunning act.

What intrigued me the most was the

dexterity of the puppet masters. Guided

by their hands, the puppets performed

various feats from mock fights and

juggling to dances with candles and

fireworks. Not once did the masters

reveal themselves or their mechanisms.

Puppeteers undergo nearly ten years of

training before they can perform before

audiences, and it shows in their skill.

The hour-long show reminded me

of the puppet shows I had watched

in fairs as a child. While I was just

as fascinated now as I was then, this

time I understood and admired the

dedication of the performers, who

were carrying forward a unique facet

of their culture.¾

Fig wood and clay from the Red River
are used to create the two-foot-tall
puppets, which are then hand-painted
with vegetable dyes (1,2,3); Puppeteers
stand behind a screen and use the rods
attached to the puppets to manoeuvre
the figurines to perform complex
movements on water (4 , 5 ).

Performances are

accompanied by drums,

cymbals, horns and

flutes as well as singers

of chèo, a traditional

Vietnamese opera

1

2

3

4

5