His puppet shows done with beautiful puppets are very popular in Ho Chi Minh City where most water puppetry troupes use the puppets made by Oanh. His well-liked puppets shows in clued floating market on Cai Rang river (a festival in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho), Bay Nui Cow Racing (a festival featuring the racing of cows of a certain breed originating from Bay Nui area in An Giang province), and Central Highlands Gong Festival.
.
Graduating from the Sculpture Faculty of Hanoi Music and Painting College, it is not difficult for Oanh to make water puppets. But to create lively puppets bearing folklore characteristics is another story, Oanh said, stressing the puppet maker should have a profound understanding of the national culture. According to Oanh, the puppets, which are made from fig tree wood and then lacquered, should not only be good-looking but bear cultural and comic features to attract the audience.
After over 23 years doing water puppetry, artisan Phung Quang Oanh is one of very few puppet makers in Ho Chi Minh City. With an aspiration for promoting and conserving this original art, Oanh is planning to build an establishment for shaping puppets and performing puppetry shows to help local and foreign visitors better understand this type of folklore.
 Artisan Phung Quang Oanh.  Fig timber, the material for making water puppets.  Tools to make water puppets of Phung Quang Oanh.  To make a water puppet needs skillful hands.  Oanh pays special attention to every detail of a puppet.  A puppet should bear comic features, according to Oanh.  Painting, the last step of creating a puppet.  Puppets in Oanh's workshop.  Oanh with one of his favourite puppets. |
Graduating from the Sculpture Faculty of Hanoi Music and Painting College, it is not difficult for Oanh to make water puppets. But to create lively puppets bearing folklore characteristics is another story, Oanh said, stressing the puppet maker should have a profound understanding of the national culture. According to Oanh, the puppets, which are made from fig tree wood and then lacquered, should not only be good-looking but bear cultural and comic features to attract the audience.
 A character of show "Phoenix dance".  Characters of "Festival drums" show.  Character of show “Vinh quy bai to” (Returning home to pay tribute to ancestors after getting an academic honour).  A character of show "The eight fairies”.  "Rowing".  A character of show "Catching frogs".  Dragon heads made by Oanh.  Oanh's puppets are used by most water puppetry troupes in Ho Chi Minh City. |
After over 23 years doing water puppetry, artisan Phung Quang Oanh is one of very few puppet makers in Ho Chi Minh City. With an aspiration for promoting and conserving this original art, Oanh is planning to build an establishment for shaping puppets and performing puppetry shows to help local and foreign visitors better understand this type of folklore.
Story: Son Nghia - Photos: Nguyen Luan
