On accepting the invitation by the World Wood Day Foundation (WWDF), Vietnamese water puppet artist Phan Thanh Liem will attend World Wood Day 2017 as a guest of honour.

Ambassador of Viet Nam’s pastoral arts Liêm performs a water puppet show. 

The event, themed ‘Root’, will be held at Long Beach, in the US, from March 19 to 27.

Liêm will perform traditional water puppet theatre and introduce the methods to make water puppets at the event.

Speaking at a press conference before departing for Long Beach, Liêm said he would use traditional themes in the show, “They are all about the daily labour of farmers, from ploughing, tilling, ship racing, to phoenix dancing. I will add the flying motorcycle performance to the show, in order to educate children on the awareness of traffic regulations”.

World Wood Day is held annually on March 21 with the aim of promoting and recognising the significant role of wood. 

This year’s activities will include seminars and conferences on folk arts using wood, making products with wood, and musical performances by wooden instruments.

Liem was born in a family of traditional water puppet artisans in the northern province of Nam Dinh. Dubbed “The ambassador of Viet Nam’s pastoral arts”, he was recognised for his idea of miniaturising the water puppet stage. 

Over the last 16 years, with his miniature stage, he has performed in Viet Nam and foreign countries such as the UK, South Korea, Thailand, mainland China, Malaysia and many others.

He also opened a small stage at home to help audiences learn more about traditional water puppetry and experience the life of an artisan. 

VNS