Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam's traditional arts are getting a creative overhaul, giving residents and tourists a new way to experience them.
CADAO Collective, a new space dedicated to traditional arts, opened at No.66 To Ngoc Van Street in Hanoi. It introduces audiences to puppetry, "xam" singing and "ca tru" through a fusion with contemporary art.
Visitors can experience water and shadow puppetry paired with modern projection technology, set to folk melodies woven together with new compositions. They can immerse themselves in intimate, interactive “xam” and “ca tru” performances and meet the artisans themselves. Notably, the space folds into a local dining experience as well.
“Tran Nhan Tong”, a joint production from the Vietnam Circus Federation and the Vietnam National Traditional Theater, makes the same case for reinventing traditional art forms to pull in audiences.
The historical drama blends the narrative and lyrical style of “cai luong” (reform theatre), with the physicality of circus performance. Commissioned as a one-off, it has since staged dozens of ticketed shows and turned into a recurring, revenue-generating production.
Other tourist-focused productions are following the same script. The Hanoi Cheo Theatre modernises the staging for "The Charm of Hanoi's Cheo"; the Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre takes traditional arts into open-air spaces with its “Sounds of Vietnamese Soul” series; and the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre reimagines Thang Long-era history through contemporary staging in “Long Thanh Emotions”.
The takeaway is that with the right staging and interpretation, art forms once dismissed as outdated and inaccessible can become vivid tourist experiences.
People’s Artist Tong Toan Thang, Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation, said a heavily funded production that runs for a few nights and then goes into storage has limited impact and cuts into artists' opportunities to keep working. Developing it for tourism instead can extend its lifespan and create added value for both the art form and the destination.
That means building in audience accessibility, room for repeat performances, and long-term sustainability from the earliest creative stages, Thang said.
People’s Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, said the theatre's "Long Thanh Emotions" has staged hundreds of ticketed performances since its late-2025 launch through June 2026 and remains commercially active.
Making traditional arts work for tourists means shorter performances, less dialogue and more concise subtitles, Dung said. He wants greater emphasis on body language, music, lighting, sound and visuals to close the cultural and language gap with international audiences.
Modernisation efforts, he added, must still protect the "core" of traditional values even as staging, rhythm and storytelling get a contemporary update./.
