Hanoi: Water Puppet Theater
 

I will be in Hanoi and I will be meeting up with a friend who will coincidentally be there at the same time I will be!

We are going to meet up to go to a water puppet show and then have dinner and drinks.

I found this site at http://www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org/land.htm
but it doesn't have any info about tickets and show times.

Is there more than one place that does the shows? Where does one purchase tickets? Are the shows at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30? What are the ticket prices? Are there different prices for better seats?

Thanks in advance for the info!

Tamara, I only know of one place in Hanoi that does the water puppet theatre. It is close to the lake, near old town. The price for tickets is very inexpensive and they can be purchased at the theatre. Sorry, I don't remember show times or whether there were different prices for better seats.

The following info is from fodors.com :

"Thang Long Municipal Water Puppet Theater
Puppet Show, Hoan Kiem District

Thang Long Municipal Water Puppet Theater is the best place to see water puppetry performed in Hanoi. Seven or eight puppeteers pull the strings from behind elaborate stage sets while half a dozen musicians play soothing traditional folk music. The resident Thang Long Water Puppet Troupe is the only troupe that has toured Europe and North and South America in the past. If you're in Hanoi on a package tour, it's highly likely you're already scheduled for a show here. If not, get your tickets early, as performances sell out quickly. Tickets cost 40,000d, including a cassette of the music, or 20,000d without. The curtain goes up at 8 every night but Monday, and there's a 9:45 AM matinee on Sunday. Occasionally there are 6 PM shows as well. There's a 10,000d fee to use your camera; videotaping costs 50,000d. Souvenir puppets are available to buy.

Address: 57 Dinh Tien Hoang St., on northeast shore of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam
Phone: 04/824-9494"

One guide book recommended buying the tickets in the morning of the day of the show.

Thanks Kathie and mrwunrfl!

I had emailed the theater but the email came back as undeliverable.

This is helpful info.

Cheers!

Tamara

I got some good advise from Ken--to let the concierge at the hotel get them....he said the tickets were the same price and the seats were great.

Lori

I greatly looked forward to seeing the water puppets, and I would definitely go again because it is an unusual performance medium, but I was dismayed on a few counts by the actual experience.

First of all, the theater is not terribly large but it is very poorly raked. With such a gentle incline, the sightlines aren't at all good if anyone the slightest bit tall or active sits in front of you. Performances seem to sell out so you can not adjust by finding an empty seat.

Second, as to the "activity" quotient -- wow -- many people pay the surcharge to use their cameras during the performance and, as a consequence, they feel entitled to jump all over the theater trying to line up great photos. I was dumbstruck by the level of discourtesy to fellow patrons.

Third, an attractive feature of these performances is the fact that they are accompanied by live music. That said, we have never, anywhere in the world, seen such obviously bored musicians on stage(not in a pit). The musicians are integral to the performance but seem numbed by it. The repetitiousness of their work apparently resents a great challenge to them. While feeling compassion for them, one also feels sad and let down at the spectacle of their indifference.

The staging of the puppets is fascinating, but we were surprised that so many of the most interesting dramatic effects were confined to the early part of the show -- at least this was true of the show that we saw in August 2006. Also, the program ended abruptly.

Puppets and other souvenirs are available for purchase after the performance. If you are interested in buying, allow a little extra time so that you can wait for the crowd to subside.

This seems to be a very profitable source of income to the locals which is all to the good. It just wasn't a mountaintop artistic experience.

I don't want to dampen your interest but I am sharing these disappointments because if you can wrangle good center seats close to the front of the house, you will be much happier. Second, being forewarned about all the amateur photographer-patrons popping like corks will make you less startled by the phenomenon when it occurs. Expect some chaos.

If you have a very different experience, please do report back to us. I would love to learn that our experience wasn't normative!

I would not go see this puppet show again in Hanoi. If you are in this fabulous city for a short time, reconsider!

the puppet show would have been good at 30 minutes. After that, a deep boredom sets in...sorry.

Interesting to get the mixed reviews here. I had used the search function and seen great reviews of this show.

I will probably be in Hanoi for 4 nights. The tickets are inexpensive and the show is only an hour, right?

I think I will have to find out for myself. I will post my observations after I have seen it.

Thanks!

I wanted to bolt after 10 minutes! Interesting but bring ear plugs!