Water Puppetry

One thing that you should be sure to do while in Hanoi is to go to a Water Puppet show. This is a traditional art form in Vietnam and is entertaining to see. They control the puppets with sticks/strings that are underneath the surface of the water and the coordinated choreography is pretty impressive. There is a live group of musicians playing traditional music, and there are about a dozen puppet masters, who will be shown at the end to take a bow. Book your tickets as soon as you arrive in Hanoi as they might be sold out for a few days. And go for the first class seats.