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The wife of Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko, Elena Bezdetko (left), handed over artifacts of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre to Russia’s Museum of Oriental Art. (Photo: Van Hieu/VNA)

According to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Moscow, on July 15, a ceremony was held in Moscow to hand over the artifacts of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre to Russia's Museum of Oriental Art.

At the ceremony, Elena Viktorovna Bezdetko, wife of Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Bezdetko Gennady Stepanovich, handed over three puppet artifacts used in water puppetry performances of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre to Director General of the Museum of Oriental Art Alexander Sedov.

The artifacts are puppets depicting a fairy, a female farmer and a phoenix, which were attached to performances of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Vietnam and abroad for decades.

Speaking at the ceremony, Director General of the Museum of Oriental Art Alexander Sedov said the artefacts were modest wooden puppets but also vivid witnesses in the long history of Vietnam’s Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.

The water puppets represent well-known characters that regularly appear in performances of one of the most distinctive forms of theatre in Vietnam and the world.

Through such performances, audiences across continents gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s millennia-old history and legendary stories.

Alexander Sedov highlighted, “Now, when the time on stage has ended, the puppets are beginning a new life as museum exhibits and will continue introducing Vietnam’s distinctive culture to Russian and international audiences. I believe these artefacts will be unique additions to the Vietnamese Art Collection of the Museum of Oriental Art”.

At the ceremony, the wife of the Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Elena Viktorovna Bezdetko said that, on the occasion of International Museum Day, the leader of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre had donated the aforementioned historic artifacts to Russia’s Museum of Oriental Art through the Russian diplomatic mission in Hanoi.

Elena Bezdetko stressed that specific cultural initiatives make an important contribution to strengthening ties between the peoples of the two countries, as well as friendship between Vietnam and Russia. She expressed her delight when witnessing the dynamic development of Vietnam’s cultural aspect, noting that cultural exchanges not only help nations understand each other better but also generate new ideas and promising avenues for cooperation.

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