Vietnamese water puppetry introduced to French public
A special water puppetry and traditional music performance with the theme “Village stories" took place from December 1-4 in Paris to promote Vietnam’s traditional culture and raise funds for disadvantaged children in the country's remote mountainous areas.
The event, organised by the ALEDI Association (Children of Indochina - Les Enfants de l'Indochine) in collaboration with Hanoi Vietnam Performing Arts Water Puppetry Co.Ltd, attracted the audience, particularly overseas Vietnamese and French, with stories about the daily life of farmers in rural villages, fairy tales, or legends in a scene of typical countryside of Vietnam.
Characters such as narrator Teu and flute-playing buffaloboys and the activities of fishing and farming, and the dragons spraying water or phoenixes playing with unicorns moving on the water surface following the beat of the drums raised the eyebrows of the audiences who also gave long applauses to the folk music, most of them recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) such as Tuong (classical opera), Chau Van (trance ritual singing), and Hau Dong (the spirit medium).
Trieu Vinh Van, Chairman of the ALEDI Association, said the event aims not only to popularise the Vietnamese culture but also to contribute to enhancing cultural exchanges between the two peoples.
After covering the expense of the performance, all the money raised will be contributed to ALEDI fund to help disadvantaged children in remote mountainous areas of Vietnam.
