In the midst of modern life, Nguyen Xa water puppetry troupe still quietly preserves a type of folk art that has existed for more than seven centuries. For the artisans here, water puppetry is not only a profession, but also associated with village memories and passed down through many generations.
In the peaceful space of Nguyen Xa village water pavilion, People's Artist Nguyen Dinh Bay recounted the journey of the long-standing puppet troupe. According to him, in the past, this land used to have many different puppet troupes, later combined into Nguyen village water puppet troupe, then familiarly called Nguyen Xa water puppet troupe as it is today.
Since the 1960s, the puppet troupe has participated in puppetry festivals in the North many times and has made its mark with unique performances. During the anti-American resistance war, the sound of puppet drums once echoed to serve officers and soldiers of Military Region 3 amidst the war years. When the country was peaceful, the puppet troupe continued to bring Vietnamese folk art to many countries such as the Soviet Union (former), Japan, France or Canada.
To this day, the ward still preserves hundreds of ancient puppets and many plays reflecting the life of Northern agricultural residents. Scenes of transplanting rice, covering roofs, herding ducks, wrestling, cockfighting or boat racing are vividly recreated on the water surface, creating a space imbued with rural character.
The special feature that makes up the unique mark of Nguyen Xa water puppetry lies in the technique of controlling with ropes. Unlike many puppet troupes that use poles, artisans here use a system of submerged ropes underwater to control puppets. Long ropes that can reach 12m help create complex movements, requiring accuracy and rhythmic coordination between many performers.
The most typical is the "Chay dan ngu phuong" game, when the characters move in the shape of stars on the water surface. To complete the performance, the artisan must continuously coordinate the operations of lowering, tying, and pulling strings in conditions of soaking for hours in deep water, even in the middle of the cold winter.
Currently, the puppet troupe has more than 20 artisans of different ages. Although income from the profession is not stable, many people are still attached because of their love for traditional art. At the end of April 2025, Nguyen Xa water pavilion was upgraded with a budget of more than 6.6 billion VND, contributing to creating a new face for the performance space.
In 2018, Nguyen Xa water puppetry art was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This recognition shows that the value of folk art has been preserved and taught by many generations of artisans in the locality.
