The art of Vietnamese water puppetry will be introduced in the UK as a part of activities included in the ‘Discover Viet Nam’ programme held in the UK from September 10 to 13.
Puppetry artist Phan Thanh Liem from the National Centre for Research, Conservation and Promotion of Vietnamese Culture will be responsible for overseeing the water puppetry performances.
Born into a family with a rich tradition of performing water puppetry in Nam Dinh province, Liem acquired a passion for the folk art in his childhood. His father, artist Phan Van Ngai, was the writer of many water puppetry plays in several renowned water puppetry theaters. It was Ngai who reestablished the character Uncle Teu and headed Vietnam’s first water puppetry art troupe. But it was Liem who created a mini stage for water puppetry and took his solo performances to other countries, including France, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Malaysia.
During this programme, artist Lien will exhibit traditional puppetry plays as well as model plays on traffic safety, which promise to attract large audiences.
After participating in the ‘Discover Viet Nam’ programme, Lien will continue to perform for overseas Vietnamese children on the occasion of the Mid-autumn Festival, at the invitation of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the UK.
The ‘Discover Viet Nam’ programme, organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, aims to celebrate five years of strategic partnership between Viet Nam and the UK as well as the 70th anniversary of National Day.