Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

The purchase of the tickets was straightforward through Tripadvisor. However, on arrival, things felt rather chaotic. Organisation appeared to be in short supply and the crowd gathering outside created some concern, particularly for Megan, as there was a real risk of people being crushed in the rush to enter. Thankfully, we made it inside safely in the end. Once seated, we quickly discovered that the theatre makes very efficient use of its available space. The seats are quite cramped, so if you’re particularly tall or broad-shouldered, you may find yourself getting to know your neighbours better than expected. As English visitors, some of the folktales were difficult to follow in detail, and we found the audio guide a little sparse at times. However, this did not detract significantly from the overall experience. The skill and artistry involved in the water puppetry are genuinely impressive, and it is easy to appreciate the tradition even when some of the finer story details are lost in translation. The live music and singing added greatly to the atmosphere and authenticity of the performance. The musicians were excellent, and the cast appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, which helped make the show even more engaging. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the performance and would recommend spending an evening experiencing this unique aspect of Vietnamese culture. Audio guides are available in other languages for 50,000 VND per person. Tickets cost us 858,156VND (£24.42), when we collected the tickets from Viator we noticed the price listed was 200,000VND each so for both it was 400,000VND (£11.20) We checked this against the sales desk and can confirm it is cheaper to buy from the theatre than online.

Ima bit of a mix up at first They couldn’t find our booking but all worked out . Puppereers very talented a cultural experience . Worth it if you have enough time or you want to get out of the heat

Great cultural experience in Hanoi. Would recommend getting English audio for those who want a more thorough understanding of the dialogue

Very original, immersive, original. I did not regret to add the audio guide, (too bad they are not offered for sale tickets). it gives context to the show and the scenes of life played.

I’ve never seen anything like it. Never known anything like it. My friend and I booked this after a recommendation from a colleague. We didn’t know what to expect at all, and it completely blew our minds. It was touching, funny, cheeky and had amazing visual storytelling. We absolutely loved it. It was all in Vietnamese, but the visual storytelling was easy to understand what was happening. It was so unbelievably unique and enjoyable. I’d recommend to anyone that will be visiting Hanoi.

It was a unique and insightful show performed with great skill. Provides an insight into traditional Vietnamese Culture. Would have been better appreciated had there been a simultaneous English commentary.

Very nice and relaxing experience to learn more about Vietnamese traditions, culture and myths. Highly recommended!

A scam. I booked 4 tickets of skip the line/ first class seats and paid 64 USD. But when we arrived at the entrance, we were told a story that sounded like a scam, which said that the first class seats were unavailable due to the computer issue when we booked. We were given the random seats instead and were told that they would refund us in 2 days. They didn’t eventually. I wrote 2 letters to the ticket office and to the agent, but never ever got any response. That’s why I claimed that it was a scam!

Very nice show, a nice blend of stories, show and music

This was one of the activities we wanted to see in Hanoi, and it was a great way to get out of the sun and see something totally new. The only reason I would recommend getting "better" seats is so you can be closer to the stage, and thus have fewer tourists holding their phones in front of your face for the entire show. We were glad we bought our tickets in advance, as it appeared like a number of shows had sold out. The pricing onlineseemed pretty accurate too compared to buying in person. (Heads up, if you buy your tickets in advance through TripAdvisor, DON'T stand in the long confusing ticket line -- head towards the entrance to the theater and there should be a staff member with your name and paper tickets. You can't get in with just the digital tickets.)