The North

Water Puppetry in Vietnam: Better than the Muppets

Tuesday, 08 June 2010 20:07

Last Updated on Sunday, 05 September 2010 17:57

Written by Administrator

Puppetry has a long and varied history that spans the globe, but only in Vietnam do puppets slice off each other's heads. Sure, Indonesia has the graceful Javanese shadow puppets and Japan the bunraku theater with black-clad ninja puppeteers. Europe offers the rambunctious Punch and Judy, not to mention fantastic nose-growing marionettes like Pinocchio. And in America Jim Henson created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and all the other members of the madcap Muppet gang. But amphibious Vietnamese water puppets beat all these diverse strands of puppetry. To learn about this 800-year-old art form, which prominently features severed heads, there is no better book than Vietnamese Traditional Water Puppetry.

The Red River and Delta

Monday, 07 June 2010 17:09

Last Updated on Sunday, 05 September 2010 17:57

Written by Administrator

Song Hong, the Red River, is northern Vietnam’s largest river. It rises in China’s Yunnan province and flows 1,175 km southeast through deep, narrow gorges to enter Vietnam and discharge into the Gulf of Tonkin via a great delta. The silt it carries is rich in iron oxide, making its water red and giving it its name.

Ha Noi and around

Friday, 20 November 2009 13:26

Last Updated on Sunday, 05 September 2010 17:57

Written by Administrator

Ha Noi is the capital of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Ha Noi lies in Red River Delta and is situated in a tropical area having a strong monsoon influence. The name of Ha Noi (Interior side of a river) has been derived from an ancient language which is literally known as a land area located in the inner side of Red River. It does not mean that the city is inside the river, but it is embraced by about 100 km of the Red River dykes.