On 8th June 2013, at Hong Phong Commune’s Culture House (Ninh Giang District, Hai Duong Province), Institute For Tourism Development Research (ITDR) under Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held the Handover Ceremony of Hong Phong Puppetry display house for People’s Committee of Hong Phong Commune.
Attending the ceremony were Deputy Director General of VNAT Hoang Thi Diep, representatives of departments and units of VNAT; representatives of JICA, Hai Duong Television, the provincial departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Duong and Lao Cai provinces, Ninh Giang District, Hong Phong Water Puppetry Guild, a number of travel companies and a large number of local people.
Water puppetry is a long-standing folk art form in the Red River Delta region - the birthplace of wet rice civilization. In the hard life attached with water, farmers created games for entertaining, one of which is water puppetry. Initially, this form is usually only performed in the leisure days, festivals, Tet holiday. Following time, the water puppetry has become an art form with a high position in Vietnamese art and it is a folk form only in Viet Nam.
To conserve and promote the cultural quintessence of the water puppetry, since 1989, thank to attention of local government and VNAT, and also effort of artisans, Hong Phong Water Puppet Guild staged many water puppetry items and has received the enthusiastic support of local people and visitors.
To continue to promote the unique culture features of the water puppetry in Viet Nam and also Hai Duong and meet the demand of local people, and domestic and foreign tourists, ITDR in collaboration with JICA supported Hong Phong Commune to build the water puppetry display house in Bo Duong Hamlet. The work with total area of ​​140m² was begun construction in January 2013 and completed after 3 months.
Also at the handover ceremony, Deputy Director General of VNAT Hoang Thi Diep thanked for the attention and assistance of JICA in preservation of traditional values of Viet Nam ​​in tourism development. The handover of the water puppet display house in Hong Phong Commune in 2013 has important meanings to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam - Japan and National Tourism Year of the Red River Delta - Hai Phong 2013.
After the handover ceremony, the delegates visited the water puppetry display house, enjoyed the water puppet show and visited two tourist sites of Hai Duong as Thanh Ha Litchi Garden and Chu Dau Pottery Village.
It is expected that this work will become a destination for visitors to explore the unique traditional art form of the Red River Delta.