Within hours of his arrival on a four-day visit to Vietnam, President Pranab Mukherjee drove through a crowded Dinh Tien Hoang street, near Hoan Kiem Lake on Sunday evening to be enthralled by what this country loves to showcase: ancient water puppet theatre.
Ahead of his talks with top Vietnamese leaders, Mukherjee watched the art theatre that goes back to the time when rice paddy fields were flooded and villagers would make entertainment by standing in waist-deep water with the puppets performing over the water. Mukherjee sat through the hour-long presentation that uses large rods to support the puppets to appear as if they were moving across the water with the puppeteers hidden behind a screen.
The performance depicted the daily life of Vietnamese farmers, swimming contest, dragon dancing or historical legendsset to a melodious north Vietnamese tune. Earlier, Mukherjee arrived here to a warm welcome at the Noi Bai International Airport by Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of President’s Office Dao Viet Trung.
The President was also given a guard of honour.
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