HÀ NỘI — The 5th International Puppet Festival opened on Monday night with puppeteers from eight countries performing at Âu Cơ Theatre. The festival runs until October 15 in Hà Nội.

About 100 puppeteers from Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Belgium, France and Brazil traveled to Việt Nam for the festival. The four Vietnamese troupes participating include the Việt Nam Puppetry Theatre, Thăng Long Puppetry Theatre, Hải Phòng Puppetry Theatre and HCM Puppetry Theatre.

According to deputy head of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Performing Arts Department Trần Hướng Dương, the festival is a chance for Vietnamese puppeteers to introduce the unique and artistic puppetry of Việt Nam to the international community.

"It also offers Vietnamese puppeteers and art managers a chance to share their performance and management experience," Dương said. "The international puppetry troupes will bring new shows to the festival, and local groups will also have a chance to present new plays."

There will be various types of shows showcasing the cultural features of the participating countries including water puppetry, shadow puppetry, rod puppetry, glove puppetry and mask puppetry.

Thăng Long Water Puppetry Theatre will debut its new production entitled Công Chúa Tóc Mây (Tangled Princess), which combines three types of manipulation: water puppetry; rod puppetry and string puppetry. The 45-minute show is co-directed by Nguyễn Phương Nhi and Bạch Quốc Khanh and conveys a message about environment protection.

"The story of the show is about pollution, forest fires and climate change,” said Nhi. “But characters like the princess, prince and wizard will entertain young audiences.”

Công Chúa Tóc Mây will be performed at 9:00am on Tuesday at 57B Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street.

From Une Tribu Collectif of Belgium, Michel Villee and Noemie Vincart will perform Gaspard, which will feature a man and a woman creating the illusion of life on stage. The two puppeteers explore a number of different styles and forms.

Founded in 2014, Une Tribu is a collective comprised of eight artists with different backgrounds. Gaspard will be performed at 8pm on October 11 at Âu Cơ Theatre, 8 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street.

In addition to the main performances in Hà Nội, puppetry troupes will also perform in the northern provinces of Ninh Bình and Vĩnh Phúc. Their performances will entertain local people, enhance understanding of Vietnamese culture among foreign performers and tighten international relationships through arts.

A workshop entitled Relationship Between Body and Puppet will be held on October 13 in Hà Nội. — VNS