Thirsty for young audience: Water puppetry
Traditional water puppetry, once hugely popular, is struggling to capture the interest of younger generations, requiring the efforts of both artists and regulators to preserve this ancient art form. The younger generation’s disinterest A water puppet performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. Photo: Hanh Pham Once a spiritual practice for the people of the Red River Delta and Vietnam, traditional water puppetry now faces the sad reality of generating little attention, especially among the younger population. “I think there are now so many entertainment options and alternatives for young people to choose from instead of traditional arts like water puppetry, especially when the plays of this art form have remained unchanged for hundreds of years, which decreases people’s interest,” said Quynh Chi, a student at Vietnam National University in Hanoi. According to Minh Ha, an employee of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater, the majority of customers who buy tickets...