No trip to Vietnam is complete without seeing a water puppet show in Hanoi (or Ho Chi Minh City). Water puppet theater is a traditional Vietnamese art dating back hundreds of years, where puppets are manipulated from behind a screen while performing on a pool of water.
Here’s a video I filmed during the show (I shared another further down).
A Vietnamese water puppet show is one of those things you’ll either love, laugh at, tolerate, fall asleep during, or walk out in the middle. But if you go in expecting a unique experience (it is), it’s definitely worth the 45-minute time commitment and fair ticket prices (less than 250.000 VND).
When I saw the show recently at the Lotus Water Puppet Theatre, I bought my ticket the night before on Klook. I received a QR code directly in the app, which I showed at the entrance. I paid for the VIP First Floor (Row A-G) ticket, which was 165.000 VND. The actual seat is assigned when you arrive.
There are currently two main places to see water puppet theater in Hanoi, and they’re both right next to Hoan Kiem Lake. The Lotus Water Puppet Theater is on the lake’s west side here, and the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater is north of the lake, right inside the Old Quarter.
If you’re unfamiliar with Hanoi’s areas, see my guide on where to stay. I’ve added a map to it with hotels and some of Hanoi’s attractions.
Hanoi Water Puppet Show Info
| Locations | Lotus Theatre: Google Maps Thang Long Theatre: Google Maps |
| Show times* | Varying show times by theatre/day |
| Ticket cost | Between 100.000 VND and 250.000 VND Seat tiers are chosen; specific seats are assigned |
| Buy tickets | Lotus Theatre Tickets // Thang Long Theatre Tickets |
| Show length | The show lasts 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Official website | Thang Long Theatre |
| Other notes | The optional audio guides are not required to enjoy the show — they add minimal info |
My Experience Seeing a Hanoi Water Puppet Show
Getting there: if you’re staying anywhere near Hoan Kiem Lake, you can walk to either water puppet theater: the Lotus or Thang Long. They are both alongside the lake. The Oriental Jade (Agoda / Booking) is a great 5-star hotel right next to the Lotus theatre. The La Passion Premium (Agoda / Booking) is a good choice right near the Thang Long theatre.
You can purchase tickets at the theatres, or you can buy them ahead of time through GetYourGuide or Klook (which is what I recommend doing). It’s easy to do, and it saves you from having to walk to the theatres beforehand. The show is kid-friendly, but whether they enjoy it or not will be on a case-by-case basis. If you have kids, you’ll probably want to sit closer to the stage.
There is air-conditioning in the theatres, but as the show went on, I did feel it getting a bit hot (in the Lotus theatre). My seat in Row C (Seat 16) was comfortable; no issues there. I’m about 6 feet tall, and my knees did not touch the seat in front of me.
From behind the curtains, performers operate the water puppets on top of the water. The shows are broken up into various scenes. There is a digital display board that explains briefly what each scene is about. On the two sides of the water stage, there are bands playing music and singing.
Some of it was unintentionally funny (I think) because of the number of puppets dancing awkwardly on the water. During my show, the head of one of the human puppets broke off during a scene and was dangling by a spring — the show goes on!
It was difficult picking up on a general vibe from guests in the theatre. My takeaway is that people had mixed opinions. Some people seemed to be enjoying the show, paying attention, and being respectful. Some people couldn’t stop laughing. Someone in front of me fell asleep. I’m somewhere in the middle.
Here’s another short video I filmed during the water puppet show.
I think the puppeteers/performers are clearly talented, and I appreciate how hard it is to put this show on several times per day. But I do think how it’s presented and what happens during the show could probably be tidied up a bit. There is limited spoken dialogue (all in Vietnamese), and what felt like a lot of noise and music at times.
The digital display board that briefly explains what the following scene is about feels like it only grazes the surface of the performed scene. The scenes that follow last several minutes, with a lot of moving parts and puppets, and it feels a bit like something’s missing.
One negative of the experience (not the show itself) is the lack of rules surrounding cell phone usage during the show. People will constantly be sticking their hands up, filming chunks of the show at a time, over and over. When I saw the show recently, I got stuck behind a group of ladies who filmed every bit of every scene — arms constantly up and down. It was very distracting. But it was happening all over the theatre.
However, in the end, I’m happy to see Vietnamese water puppet shows. It’s important to Vietnamese culture, and I like experiencing new and unique things in my host country. Personally, when I go to new events or places like this in Vietnam, my primary focus is on the experience itself, not whether I enjoy it or not.
I will probably see another water puppet show in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. I do think you should see a water puppet show if you’re visiting Hanoi or HCMC. It’s an experience unique to Vietnam that you may never do again, whether you end up loving it, liking it, or falling asleep.
