The festival, held in Long Bien and Ha Dong districts, offers a diverse range of activities, including traditional games, costumes, and cuisine, running until July 17.

A key attraction is the water puppet show by Phan Thanh Liem and Hoang Huong Giang, who will also provide insights into the history and evolution of this unique art form.

Phan Thanh Liem is the seventh-generation descendant of a family deeply rooted in water puppetry. His father, artisan Phan Van Ngai, invented the mobile water puppet stage and created the iconic figure Chu Teu, now displayed at the Louvre Museum in France.

Recognizing the challenges of transporting the traditional, bulky water puppet stages, Liem innovated by creating a miniature version in 2000. Over the past 24 years, his portable miniature stage has been showcased both domestically and internationally, particularly reaching children in remote areas who lack access to artistic entertainment.

According to Professor Hoang Chuong, Phan Thanh Liem is the Vietnamese artist who has brought water puppetry to the most international audiences. He operates two performance venues at his residences in the streets of Kham Thien and Thach Ban (Hanoi), which function as both "small theaters" and "miniature museums" dedicated to water puppetry. Visitors can learn about and even manipulate the puppets themselves.

Hoang Huong Giang, the granddaughter of musician Hoang Giac, niece of poet Hoang Nhuan Cam, and daughter of researcher Hoang Nhuan Ky, previously worked as a flight attendant. She noticed foreign travelers' love for Vietnamese water puppetry while traditional puppet troupes in Northern Vietnam were gradually disappearing.

Concerned about the decline of traditional puppet troupes, Giang aimed to preserve and promote water puppetry to wider audiences. She sought out Phan Thanh Liem to learn from him and then introduced the miniature water puppet stage to Ho Chi Minh City. She and her troupe perform for audiences there and visit schools, hospitals, and children's centers to entertain young audiences.

Below is an excerpt from the performance by artist Phan Thanh Liem and his student:

Tinh Le