Paris:Vietnamese theatre will be prominently featured in France as part of Vietnam Theatre Week, themed 'Vietnam en Scène' (Portrait of Vietnam), from October 24-31. This event will highlight Vietnam's signature theatre forms, including water puppetry, cheo (traditional opera), tuong (classical drama), cai luong (reformed opera), spoken drama, and contemporary dance.
According to Vietnam News Agency, this is the first event of its kind in France and will feature artists from major Vietnamese theatres such as the Vietnam Youth Theatre, the National Theatre of Traditional Arts of Vietnam, the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre, the Da Nang Traditional Arts Theatre, the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, and the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet. French artists will also participate in the event.
Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Duc Hai emphasized that theatre serves as a bridge connecting artists and audiences, linking generations and traditions with contemporary creativity, and fostering cultural exchanges. He mentioned that Paris was chosen due to its reputation as a global cultural and artistic hub and as the headquarters of UNESCO. The year 2026 will mark 50 years of Vietnam's membership in UNESCO.
The programme will commence with water puppetry performances in central Paris on October 24-25. On October 26, French director Anne Bouvier will stage Luu Quang Vu's play 'The Soul of Truong Ba, the Skin of the Butcher' at the Theatre Marigny. On October 27, Vietnamese-French director Olivier Dhenin Huu will present two operatic works, 'The Golden Dragon' and 'The Fisherman in the Teacup,' also at the Theatre Marigny. The performances on October 28 and 30 will combine contemporary dance with tuong, cheo, and cai luong.
The week will conclude on October 31 at the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France with an exchange between Vietnamese and French artists and audiences. The ambassador expressed his hope that the event would foster cultural promotion and create new opportunities for artistic exchanges, residencies, co-productions, translation, and collaborative creative projects between the two countries.