The first Ho Chi Minh City Puppetry Festival opened at Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 16, in the aim of honouring the traditional art of puppetry.
At the opening night
The event was organised by the Sirenis Viet Company under the supervision and guidance of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, with the participation of many theaters in the Southern and Northern areas, such as Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, Phuong Nam Art Theatre, Ho Chi Minh City Opera House, Kite Theatre, Hai Phong Puppetry Theatre, and the Soul Music & Performing Arts Academy.
The three-day festival offers Ho Chi Minh City audiences a chance to enjoy puppetry performances, with a combination of different types of puppetry and other art forms.
On the opening night, more than 600 children from the child sponsor centre in Ho Chi Minh City have been invited to enjoy the first puppetry performances. In addition, businesses and benefactors have also granted ten houses and scholarships, worth VND480 million, to disadvantaged children.
People's Artist Vuong Duy Bien, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is the art director and general director of the programme.
The festival is scheduled to become a regular event held on the Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street and is an impressive playground for children in the city before entering the new school year.