Skip The Line: Thang Long Water Puppet Theater Entrance Tickets

An interesting show, and the right duration under an hour. The puppets were very colorful and creative. Bamboo poles used for show

The water puppet performance was wonderful, and it was great to see a live performance so close. Kudos to the puppeteers for creating such fun, interesting and entertaining movements, and to the lovely singers and musicians. I am not giving 5 stars because of the way we received our tickets. It seemed that there was only one line for both picking up pre-purchased tickets and for purchasing. So I’m not sure what line we were “skipping”. And the line was understandably slow. We almost missed the start of the show, and I suspect some people did. We received our tickets from someone wandering the crowd. No sign, no calling out. I’m still not sure how he recognized that we were the people waiting for the tickets he held. Perhaps our experience was the exception and this is not how it normally happens. It is certainly not how it should happen. Many ways to improve the process.

Delightful show, great stories told with traditional puppets. Wonderful experience, an absolute must visit and see while you are in Vietnam.

The puppet show itself was fantastic. However there is no skip the line buying these tickets. Just go to the box office 45 minutes early and purchase. You are going to have to stand in line either way.

A fun show. Puppets were hilarious. Great musicians on traditional instruments. Skipping the very long line was good. It wasn't clear where to meet representative with tickets.

Not sure if buying a ticket online was all that necessary. High broker fee. Not excessive but close to 90% of value of ticket. $4 fee for a $5 ticket. Still $10 for a great piece of live theater. Who cares

Super easy to use tickets delivered directly to you and great show highly recommend to anyone in Hanoi! Good price too for the tickets

Nice Vietnamese experience and important tradition! Almost every tourist visits the water puppet theatre And if you visit it too, you will experiense something really original!

Good show. Best show ever. One of the signature shows when you visit Hanoi, Vietnam. Good street food, good location, just by Hoan Kiem lake.

The show was fantastic, but we ended up paying more than we expected for the tickets. We had to use Viator since it was the only option for same-day purchase, but we later found out that other providers and the main gate offered significantly lower prices.

Having read the other reviews we looked for someone outside who might have our ticket. I saw a lady leaning against the wall, on her mobile, and eventually made eye contact and got my ticket. You then queue with everyone else to enter the theatre, up steps, a queue to get your audio. It doesn't take very long though. The show was interesting but I felt 50 mins was a little long.

We were told that the show was fully booked at the ticket counter and we had to contact the operator for refund. We were however contacted and accommodated in a show 90 minutes later. Thankfully we were around that area so we got to see the show eventually. This experience was after paying twice the actual fee at Viator.

Paid 3 times the price to guarantee the tickets and skip the line but once I got there and after much arguing and confusion they said show was sold out and I they didn't have my tickets even though I booked 2 days in advance. Waste of time and money. Now trying to get refunded...

Unbelievable experience the musical instruments and singers helped me to understand the stories of the performing puppets

I paid for my ticket in Saigon thinking that the puppet show was in Saigon… I contacted the company to explain that I wouldn’t be in Hanoi until 1 week later but they refused to help and said that I would have to purchase another ticket…. Pathetic customer service to say the. Least

Great show. Be sure to pay for headphones for translation, makes the experience better. However buy your tickets at the theater, if you can, for half the price of Skip the line.

Great little theatre, really enjoyed the show. Need to collect tickets locally but was no issue at all.

This show is absolutely wonderful and a must see while in Hanoi. It's worth getting the audio guide as it explains the different stories of the performance without being disruptive. The only advice we would give is that is no clear sign where to collect pre-paid Skip the Line tickets. After joining the large queue we did see a young lady who didn't seem to be trying to get anyone's attention and was just on her phone. After 20 mins queuing we finally realised that this lady had our tickets 🤦🏻

Me and my husband happened to catch this show and it was mesmerising. The music is soul touching, visuals captivating. Even though u don't understand the language of the song, everything is self explanatory. A must have experience in Hanoi.

Great show but the Viator price is several times that of the tickets on the day. Yes, there’s a queue, but you save a load of money.

We REALLY loved this show. Getting an audio guide is a must and will really improve your experience to explain the different stories and puppets. Wonderful puppetry, music and singing. Our only suggestion would be if you buy the Skip the line ticket it is not clear where you go to redeem your booking. We ended up joining the queue (as there is no information for pre-booked tickets) from the corner of our eye we spotted a lady on her phone with a bunch of tickets. After about 20 mins of queuing we saw other people getting tickets from her and lo and behold she was giving out the pre booked tickets 🤦🏻 Thankfully your seats are pre- assigned so there's no scrambling for a good one. So my only suggestion, perhaps a sign? 🤓

My family and I were queueing for tickets, when this lady asked us if we has prebooked tickets. Not sure how she identified us. I confirmed the water puppet booking via trip advisor and we were provided with our tickets and moved to queue for the show. The water puppet show is amazing and vibrant even though it was in vietnamese with no English sub titles, we could understand the basic story line. Worth going to see.

Everything was perfect! We really liked the show. I recommed it to see. The tickets you take at the entrance.

Getting a reservation was easy. Figuring out how to pick up less clear. Once we found right person tickets were ready with our name. They didn’t have section we had reserved and gave us next best with promises to refund difference. Show was very enjoyable. Well worth the few dollars it cost.

This was such a fun and unique experience. Getting the tickets was easy enough, you just go up to the box office. The show was great, really enjoyed the whole experience!

What a sweet show it was! Very skilled musicians and puppeteers, didn't need to understand the language as the storytelling through the puppets was clear enough. Recommend buying tickets online as we could jump the line for the ticket booth which was mostly outdoors in the heat.

This was a really great authentic Vietnamese experience. Water puppet theater has been a popular art form in Vietnam for hundreds of years and it was amazing to be able to experience it first hand. You sit in a theater/auditorium and watch the show on the main stage while Vietnamese men and women sing and play instruments on either side of the stage. They tell stories of Vietnamese history and culture through water puppets and music/singing. The singing and dialogue is all in Vietnamese, which I don’t speak myself, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the show regardless. They do offer audio options in other languages to follow along in your own language, but I chose against this so I can experience it as the locals do. If you’re looking for an authentic Vietnamese experience while visiting, I would highly recommend this.

Great show for all ages. Need to pay a bit extra (50,000vnd) for the audio which is worth getting. Show runs for about 1hr. For skip the line collect tickets on the LHS (needs better signage as you don’t need to line up in the ticket line).

So unique! My only regret is that I didn't rent the Eglish translation device so I could listen to the commentary. Even without it, it was funny. Puppets performed in a small indoor lagoon and were accompanied by live musicians.This was actually really fun & awesome to see, and then to see how many people it took to pull it all off! Amazing work to all the staff, would highly recommend this to everyone!! It's a Must go to and observe this particular water puppet show! This particular theater is simply across the lake.

The show is great, but this “skip the line” offer is a scam. First off, you don’t skip the line. You still have to wait in line. Then when you get to the box office, they tell you someone from the agency will bring your tickets soon. We were finally admitted 5 mins after Show began. Our “deluxe” seats were far side, back half of the house. Hard to see stage. Shudder to think what you get for “standard.” Icing on the cake is the online tickets are nearly double the price of the highest price tickets at the box office. Bottom line: skip this offer and just go to the box office.

Excellent show. Musicians were great, opportunity to see traditional instruments being played. Puppets were entertaining and made the audience laugh more than a few times. Seated event so you get a seat number. Not much leg room in front of seat but I noticed that the front row had plenty of leg room.

Not to be missed! Such an unusual show - the puppets are amazing - totally mesmerizing. I also loved the live music with such interesting instruments and stellar musicians.

Booked ticket a few hours before the show started. Visited a nearby hotel to pick up the ticket. Didn't have to queue at the box office. Very straightforward. Great experience.

Its uniquness pertaining to the culture of Vietnam . Once in a lifetime experience. Nothing else like it.

Excellent show and certainly worth seeing. Booking was easy through Viator and good seats to be able to see the how the puppets were controlled under water.

The puppet theatre is a very traditional theatre and the show is great No too long Great staff Well worth a visit

Loved it! Didn’t understand the language, of course, but it was visually beautiful and the only time I heard live, classical (I guess) music in Viet Nam. The music alone was worth going for.

Definitely a must see! Great performance by skilled artists. When you book via Tripadvisor, however, you pay twice the price of the ticket.

This is a scam! The puppet theatre itself is great, but the prices here are more than doubled compared to the tickets at the counter. The guy didn't even show up to give us our tickets, but we had to sort something out ourselves. Go and buy the tickets yourself at the counter. There are a lot of shows and the tickets were plenty available.

The price charged was double than the original and there was no proper communication about the show or the tickets. The operator hasn’t informed anything regards to audio as well

We didn't do a tour, we just showed up before a show started and were able to pick seats. My husband speaks Vietnamese so I would not know how easy it is to get tickets right at the door without knowing Vietnamese. The rest of our party got the audio guides and they were very helpful in that we knew what was going on. It was a nice show, making you feel like you just went into history as this was how they entertained so many years ago. It's still amazing to watch them work these puppets from under water so flawlessly. The musicians and their instruments are also great to watch. Definitely a must-do when in Hanoi.

Booked tickets direct with the box office, came back for the show, nice seating, air conditioned theatre. Singing and music was excellent, I enjoyed the traditional songs, the puppet show was very entertaining and easy to follow even if you are not Vietnamese. Only downside is the phones being used to record every move, it spoils the show for others, also the tourists that arrive after show has started, if I was the manager I would lock them out if they cannot tell the time

A different theater. A bit to long with 45 min without understanding to mutch. But funne 5 av 6 point

Be wary! Purchased 2 tickets for a Wednesday 8pm show. Arrived to the theater at the recommended 20 minutes prior to find that the theater was boarded shut and closed. Asked a nearby hotel for help and they stated there is no 8pm show on Wednesdays. You’re better off asking your hotel for help or getting the tickets yourself at the theater.

Very entertaining even if you don’t speak Vietnamese. It is pretty amazing how they maneuver the puppets in the water. It’s the perfect length (50 mins) , worth going for just a few dollars.

Having read about the puppet theatre online I'm very glad I came to see a show. It was something different and unique to see in Vietnam and the puppeteers are incredibly talented! I didn't get the translator as I wanted to just enjoy the show, and don't think I lost out on anything by not following the story. Its a small theatre so all the seats are good. In summer 2022 there was only 1 show on weekdays, so until times return to normal make sure to check the times in advance!

Thang Long Water puppet theater is the place where we at most enjoyed during our Hanoi time & have a chance to be in this culture one

I enjoyed every moment of it! be sure to grab the translator so you can understand and enjoy. the puppets were fantastic and so were the musicians!

I watched this show 13 years ago as a teenager and i remember loving it. Being back in Hanoi, this time with my husband - i wanted to bring him here. We were not disappointed. I was as amazed as i was the first time. The music, the singing, the puppets and stories are mesmerising to watch. I highly recommend visiting the theater if you are in Hanoi.