Surviving a 30-hour train ride from Saigon, we finally arrived in Hanoi very early in the morning on our
fourth day. We went straight to Hanoi Backpackers’ Hostel, where we made
reservations. We were spent from the train travel so we decided to schedule one
main highlight for the day – the Hanoi Water Puppet Show.
Our hostel was located in
the Old Quarter and offered a free walking tour but after a few turns and
stops, we decided to go on our own and explore the Old Quarter by ourselves.
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| Hanoi fruit vendor |
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| An old city gate |
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| The iconic Vietnamese hat |
There’s a dedicated
theater for the water puppet show near Hoan Kiem Lake called Thanglong Water
Puppet Theater. Because there are no water puppet shows in the Philippines, curiosity
got the better of me.
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| The water puppet show stage from our view |
The water puppet show was
a spectacle to behold with its live accompaniment, colors, and lights. The
performers really put their heart and soul into giving a good show to the
audience, who were mostly tourists. The puppets were attached to long wooden
sticks and were maneuvered by people hidden behind the wooden curtains. The
puppets can only do so much though. Although I can’t say that it is the most
amazing thing I’ve seen, I love how they tried to show their culture and
beliefs through the music and the movements of the puppets. The performance
still merits an applause for their creativity and showmanship.
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| The water puppets |
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| The music these performers bring adds life to the puppet show |
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