The opening puppet show

France’s Tarabatest Theater opened the festival Monday night with a hand puppet mini show. The artists skillfully manipulated the tiny characters in a funny story about a rooster named Patunela. The characters’ conversations were in French, sometimes in Vietnamese. The exchanges between puppeteers and audience were very exciting. Do Ngoc Linh was in the audience. She said: “The French performance was interesting and humorous. Though the audience didn’t understand French, all, children and adults alike, could follow the storyline and laughed at the characters’ antics. The music and props were seductive.”

The hand puppet mini show by Tarabatest Theater from France

Two Belgian puppeteers performed Gaspard about a man and a woman creating the illusion of life on stage. The shows of Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam were full of traditional puppetry adapted for a modern audience. Puppeteer Viengthong Chanthvong from Laos told VOV: “We want to introduce to this festival the beauty of the culture and art of Laos, the land of the Champa flower. We want to convey a message of cultural preservation and environmental protection. And we hope to learn from other countries to improve our own puppetry art.”

Philippine puppeteer Wanlu said: “I am the leader of the Lunamaria Marionette Troupe from the Philippines. What we do is a cabaret-marionette act with Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and a belly dancer, a little bit of magic and audience participation. This is contemporary art from the Philippines. Entering the festival, we don’t’ expect to win or anything like that. What we want to attain is friendship from all participating countries.”

Vietnamese troupes performing at this event are the Thang Long Puppetry Theatre, the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, the Phuong Nam puppetry art troupe, and the Hai Phong puppetry art troupe. Emeritus artist Nguyen Duc The, Director of the Phuong Nam puppetry art troupe, saysd the troupe performed two shows: Con Muỗi (Mosquitos) and Sắc màu phương Nam (Southern Colors). He said: “Vietnam’s southern puppetry is characterized by ethnic cultures of the Cham, the Chinese, and the Khmer. The music is influenced by Cai Luong, a style of amateur singing associated with the region’s orchards and zigzagging canals. The show “Mosquitos” contains lessons about human ethics and a healthy lifestyle. The other show “Southern Colors” introduces typical features of southern puppetry, which originated in everyday things like floating markets and monsoons.”

Since 2008, the International Puppetry Festival has been an annual event at which puppeteers can show off their creativity and share experience.