based on 1682 reviewsGolden Dragon Water Puppet Theater is a must-see cultural stop in Ho Chi Minh City. ❤️ The show is colorful, energetic, and easy to enjoy even without understanding Vietnamese. Traditional music, skilled puppetry, and clear storytelling make it engaging for all ages. A great way to experience Vietnamese culture in under an hour. Highly recommended for first-time visitors.
Water puppet show is Vietnam's "national quintessence" and one of Vietnam's characteristic traditional folk stage shows. It has a history of more than 800 years. Although "water puppets" originated in North Vietnam, they have been slowly relocated to Ho Chi Minh City over the past decade due to their popularity with foreign tourists. The performance method is to set up a stage on the pool, and the actors who are immersed in the water in the background manipulate the puppets with long lines or bamboo poles, and sing, read and play with the accompaniment on the spot, so that the puppets can vividly interpret various Vietnamese folklore stories. There are many performance venues for water puppet shows, especially the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater, which lasts about 45 minutes.

△ The show performed on the water

△ Use live Vietnamese traditional instruments

△ The show is mainly about Vietnamese folktales and legends
(427 reviews)Trip.com
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Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater is a must-see cultural stop in Ho Chi Minh City. ❤️ The show is colorful, energetic, and easy to enjoy even without understanding Vietnamese. Traditional music, skilled puppetry, and clear storytelling make it engaging for all ages. A great way to experience Vietnamese culture in under an hour. Highly recommended for first-time visitors.
The experience isn’t expensive and you get your moneys worth. I enjoyed the show it was as the box explained a famous old puppet show an I would advise everyone to experience it at its cheap price and to see a bit of local culture. If taking kids it is 1hr long so if you don’t plan to stay the whole time then please don’t sit in the front rows.
The performance was unique, with a wonderful blend of music and puppetry, allowing you to experience the charm of traditional Vietnamese culture. The venue wasn't large, but the atmosphere was wonderful, perfect for bringing family and friends. Language was no barrier at all; it was very easy to understand.
The puppet show was great. The show was held in a theater, with two shows a day, in the evening. I came on Saturday and there were a lot of people. A Malaysian sitting in the back row was here for the third time. There was a pool in the center of the show, and all the performances were shown in the pool. There were 6 voice actors on both sides of the pool, dubbing the puppets and playing folk music. The puppets were controlled by puppeteers under the pool. The puppeteers had to stay under the pool the whole time, which was not easy. The whole show consisted of several plays, each of which expressed a scene from the lives of the Vietnamese people. The puppet show was vivid, and coupled with the voice actors, it was superb
The purchase experience was very good this time. The ticket was issued quickly, and it was very convenient to exchange tickets on site. The 5 o'clock show, I exchanged the ticket at 4:22, and it started on time at 5 o'clock. There was a seat number on the ticket, and I sat in the third row. This water puppet show is the quintessence of Vietnam. Although I don't appreciate it very much, I still think that this quintessence should be well preserved and continued. At the end, the performers behind the scenes came out to take a bow, and we gave the warmest applause. It's not easy. There are two puppet shows every day. We bought the 5:30 show. The whole puppet show is in Vietnamese, without subtitles or translation. . . The whole process is about 45 minutes. Anyway, the general meaning should be that the Vietnamese people live and work in peace and contentment, and then a lion-like monster comes, and then the king kills the monster with the magic sword, and then returns the magic sword to the turtle.
A great way to experience some Vietnamese culture. You don't need to understand the language to enjoy the show itself, the techniques are very surprising and it's an interesting phenomenon. Be sure to try to sit as close to the stage as possible - some people are more interested in recording the entire show than watching it with their eyes, and it won't hinder your view to let you do so! I didn't plan to watch the water puppet show, but I saw that TripAdvisor had a good rating and it was a traditional Vietnamese performance, so I went to see it. I may not have expected much, but I found it quite interesting and good to watch. Although it was in Vietnamese, you can get a brochure before entering, which has a simple introduction to the show, and is accompanied by live music. It's not bad, I recommend it.
Although the performance was not long and I couldn't understand Vietnamese, it was definitely a performance without borders. It was a unique performance and worth seeing. I didn't hear about this art form in other places until I came to Vietnam. Not bad!
The puppet's movements must be in sync with the music and the voice of the puppet. Of course, there are some interesting parts in the process. I am the kind of person who laughs a lot, so I think it is quite funny. Some people said it is not interesting, but I think it is worth watching as a traditional Vietnamese culture. It is worth watching!