Electric puppeteer in Xuan An parish

Passion leads the way.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit 2023, amidst the lingering scent of incense on a chilly day, we visited the home of elderly farmer Ho Van Than (63 years old) in Hamlet 7, Quynh Xuan Ward (Hoang Mai town), and found him meticulously cleaning colorful and uniquely shaped electric puppets.

"I'm making thorough preparations to perform for the villagers to celebrate Tet and welcome the Spring," he said cheerfully, then paused to chat with us over a warm cup of herbal tea.

Elderly farmer Ho Van Than and his grandson next to an electric puppet show. Photo: Khanh Ly

Old farmer Ho Van Than smiled kindly, then enthusiastically began his story. Since childhood, whenever he had the chance to watch puppet shows, he had developed a special fondness for this art form.

But it wasn't until he reached adulthood, when the local community established the Dong Que Puppet Troupe, that he truly became involved with this art form. Back then, training was very difficult; 15 puppets required 15 people to control, making it very cumbersome. Whenever they performed, he and the puppet troupe had to carry a lot of bulky equipment.

After a few years, for various reasons, the puppet troupe gradually disbanded, but Mr. Than remained deeply concerned about the puppets. He pondered how to reduce costs and manpower while still making the performances lively and engaging. Initially, he experimented with carving wood, cutting foam, and painting to create the puppets himself. Gradually, he researched and explored the principles of using electric motors so that the lifeless puppets could move and coordinate rhythmically according to the script and synchronize with the music in a vivid way.

Mr. Ho Van Than repairs the electric puppet show used for Tet celebrations and welcoming the New Year. Photo: Khanh Ly

Despite only having completed the 7th grade, thanks to his talent, love, and passion, elderly farmer Ho Van Than from Xuan An parish has created unique, vibrant, and visually stunning electric puppet shows from recycled materials and readily available items. He also diligently searches for old electric motors and scrap metal to make frames, musical instruments, and character designs.

After several failures, he finally succeeded with his electric puppets. Initially, he started with just a few puppets performing simple movements, gradually upgrading to a group of 10-15 puppets, along with lively and engaging scenes.

Simply by plugging them in and flipping a switch, the automatic electric puppets dance to the music like real performers without any human control, earning the admiration and delight of the people. This motivated farmer Ho Van Than to take advantage of his free time or rainy weather to create puppet shows with various scenes, fulfilling his passion.

Some of the puppet shows by Mr. Ho Van Than. Photo: Khanh Ly

Whenever he hears a piece of music or watches a film or play that is impressive and captivating, Mr. Than memorizes it, and then, using his skillful hands and rich imagination, transforms inanimate objects into characters in scenes that vividly reflect life. These include Thai girls performing the xòe dance; Hmong boys playing the khene flute at festivals; Central Highlands girls playing the T'rưng instrument; women grinding rice, measuring rice, dancing the sạp dance, and singing then songs. Or simply farmers plowing, or village women making rice cakes...

He particularly loved and often incorporated folk melodies such as Nghe Tinh folk songs, Bac Ninh Quan Ho, and Northwest love songs into his puppet shows. Sometimes, after watching popular films like "The Village of Vu Dai in Those Days," Mr. Than would create puppet scenes of Chi Pheo and Thi No that were well-received by many.

Old farmer Ho Van Than enthusiastically talks about his passion for electric puppetry. Photo: Khanh Ly

Currently, Mr. Ho Van Than's collection includes about 15 sets of electric puppets, with hundreds of characters. To create the beloved and highly-regarded works, he spends months meticulously researching and exploring the appearance, gestures, and expressions of each character, then sculpting them. The most difficult and time-consuming step is ensuring that each character's movements are rhythmic, synchronized, and in sync with the music.

Therefore, in addition to the main motor, he had to use many auxiliary motors and gear drives to regulate the speed of each character. Fortunately, his daughter was very skillful and often helped him sew costumes for the puppets to suit the scenes. His son, Than, who is the Secretary of the Youth Union in Hamlet 7, Quynh Xuan Ward, also often assisted his father in finding materials or helping to transport the puppets to performances.

Old farmer Ho Van Than next to the electric puppet show of Chi Pheo and Thi No. Photo: Khanh Ly

"Although I mainly perform for the enjoyment of the local people, I always strive to create many puppet shows with various scenes suitable for different audiences (women, the elderly, children, or pop music for teenagers) so that I can serve audiences of different ages," Mr. Than happily said.

Concerned about traditional art

Initially, the electric puppet troupes of farmer Ho Van Than mainly performed to entertain at local festivals, celebrations of ward founding anniversaries, children's camps, and Christmas events.

Then, word spread, and many people affectionately called the elderly farmer Ho Van Than "The Master of Rural Puppetry." He was invited to perform by many organizations and individuals inside and outside Hoang Mai town, and was featured in a program by Vietnam Television VTV1.

Mr. Ho Van Than introduces the electric puppet show at the Nghe An Museum. Photo: Duc Anh.

Even puppeteers from Hue came all the way to visit and buy puppet sets such as: Countryside, Rice Milling, Northwest Love Song, Central Highlands Love Song, and Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs from Mr. Than. Yet, this elderly farmer from Xuan An parish remains very humble, saying he is just a country puppeteer, bringing joy to the people.

The puppet creations of Mr. Ho Van Than are on display at the Nghe An Museum. Photo: Duc Anh.

Born and raised in the village, the main occupation of elderly farmer Ho Van Than remains agriculture. Although his children are now grown and settled, he still works diligently and is deeply connected to the fields. Besides his 6 acres of rice paddies, he has also established a farm raising goats, carp, and shrimp, as well as hundreds of chickens and ducks… “I’m not rich, but it helps me nurture my passion for puppetry,” Mr. Than said.

An electronic puppet show created by Mr. Ho Van Than for children. Photo: Duc Anh.

That being said, he still has many concerns for traditional art forms, constantly researching and upgrading the electric puppetry to make it more lively and engaging, and incorporating traditional music into the performances.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when invited by the Nghe An Museum to perform in the "Electric Puppet Show" experience program for children, or when invited by the local Youth Union to participate in serving at a children's summer camp, he happily accepted, because he wanted to help the younger generation better understand the cultural values ​​of the nation.

Children are captivated by the electric puppet show performed by Mr. Ho Van Than at the Nghe An Museum. Photo: Duc Anh

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Quynh Xuan Ward (Hoang Mai Town), said: "Mr. Ho Van Than is a devout Catholic who lives a virtuous life. The electric puppet shows he creates not only satisfy his personal passion but also provide a unique form of entertainment for local people, especially during Tet (Lunar New Year), contributing to the preservation of this traditional art form, which is deeply rooted in national identity, from the risk of fading away and being forgotten..."