At a press briefing in Hanoi on August 25, Deputy Head of the Performing Arts Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vuong Duy Bien, said the festival will be one of many activities to celebrate the 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

“The event also offers an opportunity for Vietnamese puppetry artists to exchange art experiences and absorb quintessence in puppetry, as well as developing Vietnam’s puppetry arts in the context of international integration”, she said.

He added that the festival is expected to promote Vietnam’s puppetry arts to international friends.

The winning troupe is expected to bag a gold cup worth US$1,000.