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Hai Phong shines with traditional colours at 2025 Open Puppet Festival
The third Hai Phong Open Puppet Festival officially opened at the City Theatre on May 4, attracting large number s of locals and tourists.
The 2025 Open Puppet Festival is a major cultural eventaiming to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Hai Phong's Liberation Day (May 13, 1955 – May 13, 2025).
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Hai Phong shines with traditional colours at 2025 Open Puppet Festival. |
It also serves as an occasion to honour, preserve, and promote the rich values of traditional Vietnamese performing arts.
Taking place from May 3 to 9, this year’s festival brings together the Viet Nam Puppetry Theatre, Thang Long Puppetry Theatre (Hanoi), Hai Phong Traditional Stage Theatre, five traditional puppet troupes from various regions across the country, and thousands of artists, performers, craftsmen, traditional art lovers, and residents of the port city.
Festival activities, featuring a wide array of engaging and diverse programmes, are being held at two main venues: the square in front of the City Theatre, and the Song Cam Theatre at 274 Le Loi Street.
In addition to puppet performances, the festival also features excerpts from traditional Cheo (Vietnamese traditional opera), don ca tai tu (Southern amateur music), and a special art programme.
The festival is also embracing innovation by presenting modern adaptations of puppetry performances, incorporating contemporary elements to appeal to a younger audience. This creative approach builds a cultural bridge between past and present.
A key highlight of the festival is the colourful street parade, featuring more than 3,000 performers in traditional costumes alongside lively puppet figures.
Notably, the parade included the participation of foreign students, professionals, and experts who are currently living and working in Hai Phong.
The third Hai Phong Open Puppet Festival is not only a platform for artistic troupes but also an opportunity for locals and visitors to immerse themselves in and enjoy traditional art amidst the modern urban setting.
Interactive activities such as puppet shows, meeting artisans, and hands-on puppetry workshops have proven popular among young people, sparking renewed pride in Vietnamesefolk heritage.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of Hai Phong’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasised that organising such a large-scale puppet festival demonstrates the city’s commitment to bringing traditional arts beyond the confines of water stages, theatres, and small venues, introducing them in the streets to bring them closer to the public.
She noted that it is also Hai Phong’s pledge to preserve and breathe new life into puppetry — a unique and culturally rich form of Vietnamese folk art.
Pho Festival 2025, under the theme “The Quintessence of Vietnamese Pho – Heritage in the Digital Age,” will run from April 18 to 20 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic site in Hanoi to promote Vietnamese pho as a cultural heritage both domestically and internationally. This year’s event offers many new features, showcasing a unique culinary journey from traditional street pho vendors to modern “Pho AI” experiences in the digital era.
Nguyen Thu Ha, Counsellor at the Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy, attended the ceremony and received the award on behalf of the film crew.
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