Water puppetry (múa rối nước): Vietnam's floating theatre

Vietnamese water puppetry, múa rối nước, is a traditional theatre in which lacquered wooden puppets perform on the surface of a pool, controlled by puppeteers who stand in the water hidden behind a bamboo screen. The art grew up in the villages of the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam, where flooded rice fields and ponds made a natural stage.

It looks like magic the first time you see it: dragons spit water, fish leap and farmers plant rice, all gliding across the water with no visible strings.

What does múa rối nước mean?

• Múa ("moo-ah," rising tone): dance.
• Rối ("zoy" in the North, "roy" in the South, rising tone): puppet.
• Nước ("nuhk," rising tone): water.

So it's literally "water puppet dancing." Vietnam also has múa rối cạn, puppetry on dry land.

How old is it?

Water puppetry is generally dated to at least the Lý dynasty, around the 11th and 12th centuries. A stone stele from that period, at Long Đọi pagoda in what is now Hà Nam province, describes a water puppet performance held for the king and is often cited as the earliest written record. The roots in village life may go back further, though that's hard to document.

For centuries, it was a village art. Performances took place on ponds in front of the communal house during festivals and after harvests, and troupes guarded their techniques closely.

How do the puppets move?

The puppets are carved from light wood, traditionally the wood of the fig tree (gỗ sung), which floats well and resists water. They're painted and lacquered to stay waterproof. Some are small; others, like dragons, are large and heavy.

Each puppet sits on a pole or a system of rods and strings hidden under the water. The puppeteers stand waist-deep behind a screen at the back of the stage, which is built to look like a small temple roof. This pavilion is called a thủy đình, "water pavilion." The murky water hides every mechanism, so the puppets seem to move on their own.

The work is physically demanding. Puppeteers spend long performances in water, coordinating complicated movements they can't directly see.

What happens in a show?

A typical performance is a series of short scenes rather than one long story. Common pieces include:

• Village life: planting rice, fishing, herding ducks and buffalo.
• Festivals: dragon dances, lion dances, boat races and fireworks.
• Legends: a favorite shows Lê Lợi returning a magic sword to the golden turtle of Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi.
• Animals: phoenixes, unicorns (lân), dragons and turtles, the four sacred creatures, often appear together.

Many shows begin with Chú Tễu, a cheerful, chubby jester puppet who introduces scenes, jokes with the audience and comments on village life. He's the art's best-known character.

What about the music?

A live band sits beside the stage, playing traditional instruments such as drums, wooden bells, bamboo flutes and the đàn bầu, a one-string instrument with a gliding, voice-like sound. Singers voice the characters and narrate, drawing on northern folk opera styles like chèo. You can learn more about these sounds in traditional Vietnamese music and instruments.

Where can you see it?

The best-known venue is the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre near Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, which holds shows daily for visitors. Ho Chi Minh City also has regular performances, and some villages in the Red River Delta still keep their own troupes and pond stages. Touring troupes have performed abroad, including in the United States, so check local arts listings and university venues.

Shows are typically under an hour, which makes them easy to enjoy with children. You don't need to understand Vietnamese to follow the action.

Why it matters for cartoon fans

Water puppetry is, in a way, Vietnam's oldest animation: simple characters, big physical comedy and short scenes with clear beats. Modern Vietnamese cartoons draw on that same love of visual gags. If that connection interests you, read Vietnamese animation: a short history.

If you go to a show, sit near the front; the splashes are part of the fun, and you'll catch details in the puppets' faces that disappear from the back rows.