Tourism keeps water puppets afloat

Sink or swim: Water puppets being manipulated during a performance at the Thang Long theatre in Hanoi.— AFP

HANOI: In a darkened theatre in central Hanoi, a wooden dragon emerges from a pool to the sound of cymbals crashing in a traditional water puppet show that lures hundreds of tourists daily but is largely shunned by locals.

Backstage behind a thin bamboo screen, around 20 puppeteers slosh around waist-deep in rubber overalls wielding the marionettes with long rods.