Vietnam National Tuong Theatre

Tuong is a genre of Vietnamese theatre combining dance, song, poetry and modern folk music. Founded in 1959, the Vietnam National Tuong Theatre offers some of the most popular cultural performances in Hanoi. The cast members wear elegant costumes and the plays have a brilliant storyline, attracting tourists and locals to come and enjoy this hour long performance.

Vietnam National Tuong Theatre of Hanoi is a unique platform where the culture is depicted via performing arts. The theater has been witness to many historical events taking place in Vietnam for hundreds of years. The neo classic building still stands tall after bearing the brunt of violence in 1946 when the French troops clashed with the revolutionists. It also provided shelter to the Vietnamese army when they used it as a cover to outwit the military might of the French.

Hat tuong, a combination of classical Vietnamese theatrical performances and Chinese opera is the major show, performed regularly at this theater. However, the performances are not limited to Hat Tuong alone. On the contrary, the old and contemporary art forms of Cheo and Hat Xam are showcased here as well. The tourists are excited to see the fine performances too and would surely miss out learning about Vietnamese people and culture by forgoing the shows. The plays staged here are held in high regard and considered to be at par with the Water Puppets, another traditional art of Vietnam.

The Vietnam National Tuong Theatre is recognized as an easily accessible and affordable form of entertainment by the common people of Vietnam. The tourists, keen on knowing more about its culture, are not inconvenienced either. They can easily understand the inherent meaning of the songs via the subtitles in English that appear on the screen.

Vietnam National Tuong Theatre History

The Vietnam National Tuong Theatre began in 1955 as Olympia, a cinema screening Western movies, an entertainment source for the French Colonists. It was renamed as Hong Ha Theater, post revolution and utilized by the Vietnamese Government for showcasing the indigenous Art and Culture of the Vietnamese people to date. The immense popularity of Hat Tuong has altered the name of the theater to Vietnam National Tuong Theatre. Beginning with only 19 tuong artists and associated staff, the employees as well as the infrastructure have grown over the years with the theater now housing more than 200 staff to take care of the nitty-gritty apart from performing with elaborate made up faces on the stage.

How to Reach Vietnam National Tuong Theatre

Located at 51A Dong Thanh, Dong Da, Hoan Kiem, the Vietnam National Tuong Theatre in Hanoi can be reached within minutes by walking briskly from Hoan Kiem Lake and through the Old Quarter. The building is situated opposite Hang Da Market. There are numerous buses plying through the Old Quarter with metered taxis and Xe Om preferred by visitors who want to travel privately.

Vietnam National Tuong Theatre is a place for wholesome and unique entertainment. It showcases the beautiful culture of the Vietnamese people by virtue of riveting folk art performances, closely reminiscent of the Chinese Opera. It is hugely popular due to the local influences and low priced tickets.