The first International Puppetry Festival opened in Hanoi on the evening of February 16th with the participation of 11 countries, including Vietnam, China, Egypt, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Sweden, Belgium and Israel.

The five Vietnamese troupes will be the Central Puppetry Theatre, Thang Long Puppetry Theatre, Hai Phong Puppetry Theatre, Dak Lak Puppetry Theatre and Ho Chi Minh City Puppetry Theatre.