Vietnamese water puppets are made of wood and coated with lacquer and waterproof paint. Each puppet is handmade, has its own posture and expresses a certain character. The most outstanding puppet, known as the Chu Teu, has a round face and a humorous and optimistic smile. Some of the puppets are quite large – 60 centimeters tall and weighing 13.5 kilograms, and are manipulated by three puppeteers.

The puppets are manipulated with rods hidden under the water. Complicated mechanisms make it possible to move the puppets’ limbs and even to make ta puppet smoke a cigarette. The configuration of the poles and wires under the water is a secret, and spectators are not allowed to watch from behind the screen. There are many contributing factors to the art of water puppetry, including such handicrafts as wood sculpture and lacquer work. The factors all work together to bring out charming glimpses of the Vietnamese psyche, as well as typical landscapes of Vietnam.

There are currently about a dozen water puppet troops, performing mostly in villages in the Red River Delta. They typically know a repertoire of 40 or 50 vignettes. The group that are the most successful are the one who perform before tourist in Hanoi and Saigon. Most of the puppeteers are farmers who work hard to perfect their technique but generally perform for free. One of them told AP, “Puppet shows are not very expensive to produce, so we’ve been able to revive them. But is depends on the contribution of the puppeteer, who usually don’t receive any salaries… There’s not much support from the government because it faces many financial difficulties.

The Vietnam news reported: Singers of Cheo – traditional North Vietnamese operetta – tell the story. Ostentacious decorations color each show, and traditional musical instrument such as drums, wooden bells, cymbals, horns, two-string Chinese violins and flutes set the tone. Water puppetry combines a myriad of art forms like, sculpture, architecture, painting, music and literature.”

Vietnamese water puppetry has a long history. An inscription on the stone stele in Doi Pagoda, Duy Tien District, Ha Nam province, relates a water puppet show staged in the year 1121 to mark a birthday of King Ly Nhan Tong in 4036 words.

Khanh Van wrote in the Viet Nam News, “Vietnamese water puppetry originated from the Song Hong (Red River) Delta of Viet Nam in the tenth century. It began to grow in popularity from the 15th century.

At that time, farmers performed the art and used it as a means to relax after the harvesting was done. The custom is still alive and well in many parts of rural Viet Nam. Water puppetry was created by lively farmers who spent their days in flooded rice fields. They noticed that water was an excellent medium for puppetry, as it concealed the puppeteers’ rod and string mechanism, and provided exciting effects like waves and splashes

Water puppet performances for tourists and urbanites are held in meter-deep water special theaters with a pool in front of the audience or at lakes, pond or swimming pools. The puppets are attached to rods, which are manipulated by puppeteers, who stand waist-deep in the water hidden behind a bamboo screen. The show start an introduction by the Chu Teu, the buffoon character, dressed in an odd costume, offering joyful laughter. A small orchestra is accompanied the narrators who recite the story and the necessary lines. The repertoire, varying from village to village, consists of standard scenes, partly dealing with Vietnamese history, classics, more often, of domestic affairs. In water puppet shows there is a very effective combination of visual effects provided by fire, water and the movements of the marionettes.  The whole control system of the show is under the surface of the water, concealed from the audience. When fairy figures appear to sing and dance, it is calm and serene; then the water is agitated by stormy waves in scenes of battle, with the participation of fire-spitting dragons.

Dr. Jukka O. Miettinen of the Theater Academy Helsinki wrote: “A performance usually begins with a dance of the dragons and a show of fireworks, after which Teu, the stock clown, makes his entrance, being followed by special animal scenes in which horses, frogs, turtles, and mythological creatures are introduced. Ploughing with water buffaloes, fishing scenes, and other everyday activities are also enacted. The most dramatic scenes are those of Vietnamese history, such as famous sea battles. The commercial performances are performed in theater houses in a rubber pond that is some 5 by 5 meters. The performances are accompanied by a traditional North Vietnamese orchestra with singers. The repertory still consists of the short standard scenes. Water puppet troupes regularly tour abroad, making this unique art form known around the world.

David Thurber of AP wrote: “A grinning tiger splashes through the water, grabs a duck from a helpless farmer and races up a tree six meters away, its prey dangling from its mouth…The audience roars at the antics controlled by puppeteers standing thigh-deep in water behind a bamboo screen. Long underwater poles and ropes transmit the complex motions to the colorful hand-carved puppets—including dancing maidens, smoke-belching dragons and fish that pull lazy fishermen into the deep.”

“The performance—introduced by a country bumpkin named Teu—intersperse vignettes of life in a farming village with legends about Vietnam’s creation, magical turtles and brave kings. In many, humans are outfoxed by nature…The water serves as not only the stage but also a character in the stories, portraying the tranquil ripples of a duck pond as well as the violent waves of an ocean battle.”