History of Traditional Vietnam Water Puppetry

"The golden tortoise, swimming in a leisurely way, carries three mountains on its head above the rippling waves, its carapace, its feet visible in the clear slow-moving waters. Casting a glance at the bank, it opens its mouth to spurt waters towards the jetty, turns its face up to admire the king's crown, then bows its head to examine the immense sky (the clouds mirrored in the water, and the steeply-rising escarpment. A Courtly musical prelude is played, the door to the grotto opens and fairies appear in a dance entitled The Wind Comes while singing in praise of Good Fortune; flocks of birds dance and twitter, herds of innocent deer jump for joy ...

In the above-mentioned passage from ancient literature, the scholar Nguyen Cong Bat was clearly describing a scene from water puppetry possibly attended by the then King. Similarly, several literary works by Phan Truong Nguyen (12th century) and others by King Tran Thai Tong (1225-1258) appear to confirm that water puppetry was a courtly entertainment during the reigns of the Ly and Tran dynasties. The history of Viet Nam is one of successive wars which left in their wake destruction of the nation's monuments and heritage. Only humble examples of water puppet theatres remain, such as the pavilion at Thay pagoda, built in the Later Le period (about 1533-1708) and the one at Dong temple, built in 1775. The above-mentioned historical inscriptions confirm that water puppetry was in vogue in the court of the 11th century, and the existence of such records indicate that it must have existed even earlier in the rural villages where it was first performed. At agrarian festivals in rice-growing areas, one of the earliest forms of religions was the offering of prayers to various deities for good crops, since the results of the peasant's labour depended heavily on seasonal rainfall.

The ritual water procession has been preserved virtually in its orginal form, with its many waters-related objects and activities both concrete and abstract, from releasing a captured aquatic creature back into its environment, washing statues of the Buddha and various deities, leaning pagodas with water, people bathing and washing, and so on, to prayers for rain and games which take place in water such as swimming contests, rowing competitions, and water  puppetry. Apart from taking rural religious belief as the probable origin of water puppetry, it is also important to     highlight a number of material factors which enables peasants to develop this form of entertainment by themselves. Since the beginning, they have utilized rudimentary materials which were always within reach, and the simple handicraft techniques as well as mechanical control principles were always available.

The paddy fields, rivers, canals, lakes and ponds of the Northern delta provided a favorable natural environment which inspired and facilitated the development of entertainments requiring little effort to find or create. Rice cultivation techniques, together with associated traditional occupations and customs, including pastoral amusements, gave rise to water puppetry, a form of folk culture originating from the natural environment and in complete harmony with nature. We cannot be sure of precise details regarding the origins of water puppetry. But it is certain that it was the countryside of Vietnam, particularly the Red River delta that preserved and nurtured this unique traditional theatrical art over many centuries.