I’m finally in Hanoi, and it seems I couldn’t have picked a better time to visit. The capital of Vietnam is far north enough to have seasons, and I’ve arrived at the height of spring. The weather is warm, not hot, and there is a slight breeze blowing most of the time.

The “center” of Hanoi, in many respects, is Hoan Kiem lake. In the evening, crowds of people stroll around the shores of the lake while a seemingly endless stream of motorcycles wiz around the roads beyond the tree lined banks. At the north end of the lake is a small island with a temple on it. People line the arched red “Japanese” style bridge linking the island to the mainland, enjoying the breeze and the view. Just a few steps from the bridge to the island is the water puppet theater.

All the guidebooks say that the water puppet show is a “must see” in Hanoi. I’m dubious, but figure I better take it in so I can judge for myself. For once, the books weren’t exaggerating. The puppets are works of art in themselves, for their intricate work and the lacquer finishes. Lacquer ware is a common handicraft throughout Southeast Asia, but the Vietnamese have taken it to a high art, which is definitely on show at the water puppet performance. In addition to admiring the colorful puppets, I also spent a bit of time trying to figure out how they were doing it.

For those unfamiliar with the water puppets, it’s similar to a marionette show, except the puppets are mounted on long poles, which are hidden under the water “stage”. The performance consists of more than a dozen short, unconnected skits lasting two to three minutes. Each skit seemed to introduce some new kind of puppet that did amazing things.

I was definitely glad I had gone to the Fine Arts Museum near the Temple of Literature earlier in the day. Among the exhibits is an extensive collection of lacquer works, from sculptures to paintings. The museum is just across the street from the Temple of Literature, which is another “must see” place in Hanoi.

More on Hanoi and Saigon later…

As mentioned previously, a Royal Barge procession will be held on June 12 to commemorate the Thai King’s 60th anniversary on the throne. Processions are rather rare events - the last one was in 2003 - so this is one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunities.

The full procession on the 12th will be for the benefit of the many foreign royalty and heads of state that will be visiting Thailand to join the party. The best way to see the procession is to watch one of the dress rehearsals. For these, you can get a seat on a large floating grandstand that will be docked at the same location that the dignitaries will be on the big day.

Dress rehearsals will be held on 2 and 6 June, with a full dress rehearsal on the 9th. You can book tickets online at Thai Ticket Master.