Hoi An Water Puppet Show
Hoi An Water Puppet Show
4.5
Theatre & Performances
This location was reported permanently closed
About
Hoian Water Puppet Theater is a unique traditional art form of Vietnam. The program includes various pieces imbued with the cultural character of Vietnam and Quang Nam.
Suggested duration
< 1 hour
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Admission tickets
from $11.29
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  • Alex H
    Port St. Mary, United Kingdom1,313 contributions
    Surprisingly very good!
    We visited here and paid I think 300,000 each for a ticket. The show last about 45-50 minutes. It is in Vietnamese but each story is slightly different along the way and most of the time you can follow what is going on! The show itself is very clever and the puppeteers are very talented. The musicians and voices are also very good! It makes a change from your usual SE Asian activities so I would recommend giving this activity a go one evening!
    Visited March 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 15, 2020
  • mammabetty
    Viareggio, Italy347 contributions
    Must go and see!!
    Was raining ad I went here thinking that was a tourist trap. I made a big mistake. it is a puppet show on the water where the authenticity and simplicity of the Vietnamese people is exalted overbearingly. A simple but at the same time articulated show that manages to excite. I highly recommend it in the evening version.
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled solo
    Written January 28, 2020
  • Laura E
    Friedrichshafen, Germany5 contributions
    Interesting insight in the vietnamese culture
    The water puppet show contains many small acts and each displayes a part of the vietnamese culture. The puppets were really beautiful and the show was lovely. It was totally worth the money and an amusing show.
    Visited February 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 1, 2020
  • Kelowna Guy
    Kelowna, Canada27 contributions
    Short and sweet
    This show lasts about 1 .5 hours and the program includes 12 scenes that represent life for the farmers in Vietnam. The puppet masters stand behind a screen in knee deep cold water and the puppets are on the end of long poles that are extended under the screen. Some scenes were hard to understand while others were quite funny.
    Visited March 2020
    Written March 19, 2020
  • Tim H
    Toronto, Canada194 contributions
    A fun show anyone can enjoy (and the price is right)
    The Hoi An Water Puppet Theater it at the edge of the Old Town, and easy to walk to. We enjoyed a show on a Friday and it wasn't particularly busy, we got there 15 minutes before the show and got our tickets and seats no problem. The cost is 80,000 for adults, which is more than fair. The show is just under an hour. You get a program in several languages when you enter (English is one of them) that tells you about the show. It's a bunch of different skits with the puppets, about farmers, catching fish, fairies, and village life (mostly). The sound system announces the up-coming skit in English to give you some context, but the skits are easy to understand without knowing any Vietnamese (for example, anyone can relate to a wily fish outsmarting a fisherman). The puppets are colorful and fun, there are dragons, snakes, farmers, children, cats, and more. The theater is open-air, but it's covered so if it rained you wouldn't get soaked, but this is no indoor cushy spot - hard chairs aren't super comfy but hey, the show's pretty short. Taking photos or video is no problem here. Shows start at 6:30pm most days of the week. If you're in Hoi An for at least 2 days, you're guaranteed to be able to see this show. Well worth it! Hey - if you found this review helpful, give it a thumbs up so others can find it. Thanks!
    Visited May 2019
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 27, 2019
  • Moonfishman
    London, United Kingdom59 contributions
    BRILLIANT!
    DO NOT miss this. You don’t need to be a culture buff or art aficionado. This just stands alone as a spectacle of intricate water puppetry, which I had never seen before and is incredibly clever and well choreographed. It last about 45 minutes. DON’T buy tickets through an agency, there are plenty available in the booths around town and cost very little. Just enjoy!
    Visited April 2018
    Traveled with family
    Written April 1, 2018
  • Kevan T
    194 contributions
    A unique and entertaining show.
    Cost only 80000Dong and for this one is treated to over an hours unique entertainment reflecting farming life, culture and legends. Shows are Tues, Fri, Sat at 18.30. The artists are from the Centre for Culture and Sports so I assume they volunteer their time to put on the show in the City's outdoor covered stadium. There is an English explanation at the beginning of each "scene" Try and get to see the show as it's definitely worth it
    Visited March 2017
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 4, 2017
  • JMB50
    Sprowston, United Kingdom424 contributions
    Such fun
    I had hear about this unique Vietnamese entertainment and it is well worth seeing. It is so clever and very entertaining. It gives an insight in the culture and the imagination that goes into the presentation is great. There is no problem understanding as there is an English voice advising what is coming so you get an idea of what to expect. It is approximately an hour of fun suitable for all ages.
    Visited September 2019
    Written March 10, 2020
  • Geoff C
    Nottingham, United Kingdom624 contributions
    An Absolute Bloody Delight
    I'd heard of the Vietnamese culture of water puppets. From a Western perspective the whole thing makes no sense and one is expecting a very Punch & Judy. But no, it's a recreation of Vietnamese traditional village tales through the medium of puppets seemingly floating on the water and interweaving with other puppet characters in the water. For a while I focused on the How it was done, but then just relaxed into it and enjoyed the show. They do explain things very well with details of the stories being portrayed. In some ways it's more like ballet than puppetry. And it is very cheap too - buy your tickets from the kiosks which charge you for your entry into the old town. All over inside an hour and I recommend getting a taxi out there and then walking back into town.
    Visited February 2020
    Written March 2, 2020
  • Maria M
    Warsaw, Poland200 contributions
    Very positive one hour show
    Water puppet show is something very different and typical for Viet Nam. I really recommend to visit it. We didn’t buy ticket in advance. You can do it at the entrance just before the show. It is an open air theatre, so during winter bring a jacket. There is not specific seat number, so for those who would like to get central close to the stage seat I recommend to come 15-20 min earlier.
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled with friends
    Written January 24, 2020
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

4.5
194 reviews
Excellent
117
Very good
55
Average
13
Poor
5
Terrible
4

Kelowna Guy
Kelowna, Canada27 contributions
Mar 2020
This show lasts about 1 .5 hours and the program includes 12 scenes that represent life for the farmers in Vietnam. The puppet masters stand behind a screen in knee deep cold water and the puppets are on the end of long poles that are extended under the screen. Some scenes were hard to understand while others were quite funny.
Written March 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alex H
Port St. Mary, UK1,313 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We visited here and paid I think 300,000 each for a ticket.
The show last about 45-50 minutes.
It is in Vietnamese but each story is slightly different along the way and most of the time you can follow what is going on!
The show itself is very clever and the puppeteers are very talented. The musicians and voices are also very good!
It makes a change from your usual SE Asian activities so I would recommend giving this activity a go one evening!
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jdskinnear
Bridge of Weir, UK2 contributions
Mar 2020
Our booking as cancelled. Unfortunately there was no prior notification of this from Tripadviser with whom we had booked and who, up until a few hours before the performance were sending notifications encouraging us to download our tickets which we had printed off when booking. Our hotel were the ones to advise us that the performance was cancelled.
POOR PERFORMANCE TRIPADVISER. Presumably you will be processing a refund.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JMB50
Sprowston, UK424 contributions
Sep 2019
I had hear about this unique Vietnamese entertainment and it is well worth seeing. It is so clever and very entertaining. It gives an insight in the culture and the imagination that goes into the presentation is great. There is no problem understanding as there is an English voice advising what is coming so you get an idea of what to expect. It is approximately an hour of fun suitable for all ages.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Geoff C
Nottingham, UK624 contributions
Feb 2020
I'd heard of the Vietnamese culture of water puppets. From a Western perspective the whole thing makes no sense and one is expecting a very Punch & Judy. But no, it's a recreation of Vietnamese traditional village tales through the medium of puppets seemingly floating on the water and interweaving with other puppet characters in the water. For a while I focused on the How it was done, but then just relaxed into it and enjoyed the show. They do explain things very well with details of the stories being portrayed. In some ways it's more like ballet than puppetry. And it is very cheap too - buy your tickets from the kiosks which charge you for your entry into the old town. All over inside an hour and I recommend getting a taxi out there and then walking back into town.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NanaG 1234
Melbourne, Australia186 contributions
Feb 2020
A great thing to see when in HoiAn. The show goes for approx 60mins and is very informative and entertaining. Great for families and any travellers.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura E
Friedrichshafen, Germany5 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The water puppet show contains many small acts and each displayes a part of the vietnamese culture. The puppets were really beautiful and the show was lovely. It was totally worth the money and an amusing show.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alexandra L
Cypress Gardens, FL9 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
This was a really fun activity. We have seen other water puppet shows but this one in Hoi An was the best. Our tickets gave us front row seats. The stories the puppets told were all in Vietnamese but easy to follow. The puppets were beautiful. If you’ve never been to a water puppet show, this would be a great one to visit.
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sm_AUNZ
Melbourne, Australia24 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We had nothing planned so we decided to attend this show, and we didn’t regret the decision.
It was an amusing, light hearted show, with some fantastic talent.
Recommended
Written February 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

James F
Ocean City, NJ23 contributions
Feb 2020
We arrived at the venue and were met with a sign starting that the performance was cancelled. My granddaughter was very disappointed. We did not receive any advance notification or email. There was no ticket office on site. There was no offer to re-book.

I have requested a full refund from the venue and from Trip Advisor. Neither has responded.

I will never book another event through Trip Advisor.
Written February 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Hoi An Water Puppet Show - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)