An international puppetry festival will begin in Hanoi this weekend and last for a week, the Department of Performing Arts announced Tuesday in a press conference.

The festival, which will kick off on October 10 and wrap up on October 16, will welcome around 60 artists from 12 puppetry delegations from 10 countries, including Russia, the UK, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Germany, Laos, Belgium, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

This year, the 7-day festival, the fourth of its kind in the Southeast Asian country, will feature 18 performances which introduce all types of puppetry such as water puppetry, finger puppetry, shadow puppetry, and stick puppetry.

“All of the international delegations attending this year’s festival are newcomers, most of whom are visiting Vietnam for the first time. The event is expected to be an artistic party with full of colors and freshness,” said Nguyen Dang Chuong, head of the Department of Performing Arts.

The fest’s opening ceremony will take place at 8:00 pm on October 10 at the Hanoi Opera House, and will be broadcast live on the Quoc Hoi (Congress) TV channel.

Puppetry lovers can pick up entrance tickets for free at the Vietnam Puppetry Theater at 361 Truong Chinh Street, Thanh Xuan District.

International delegations will also offer some special performances dedicated to audiences in Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, and Vinh Phuc, in the hope of raising awareness of puppetry art and providing foreign artists with a better understanding of the Southeast Asian country’s culture and people.

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