A nine-member Vietnamese water puppetry troupe left Hanoi on May 5 for Canada where they will perform at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival.

The group, which includes five puppeteers, three traditional musicians and one tour leader, is scheduled to perform in Canada’s third largest city from May 8 to June 2.

Vu Phuong, director of the Hanoi Cultural Fund and tour organizer said one of our main objectives is to promote Vietnamese cultural activities.

Water puppetry is an integral part of Vietnamese history, director Phuong said, and officials have asked the United Nations to recognise it as a world heritage art form.

In 2002, a Vietnamese water puppetry troupe sold out all their show tickets at the Vancouver Children’s festival, which has been running since 1978. The world-renowned annual celebration includes a variety of hands-on activities designed to stimulate young minds.

Source: VOV